Secrets
by RosesandThorns666
Summary: Raphael has been keeping a secret from his family for six months. Every week he's been visiting a girl he met while on patrol in the city, and he's started to fall quite hard for her. Will he be able to face up to his feelings and stop keeping secrets from his family? M for language and possible adult themes. Please R&R!
1. Maybe

**Summary:** Raphael has been keeping a secret from his family for six months. Every week he's been visiting a girl he met while on patrol in the city, and he's started to fall quite hard for her. Will he be able to face up to his feelings and stop keeping secrets from his family?

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! Just a tester for you here. I've got seven completed chapters waiting for upload, and I do actually plan, for once, to finish this fic. I'm working on it every day after I've finished my work for my business, and I'm really enjoying writing it. I've loved _TMNT_ from the age of around seven or eight, and after seeing clips of the 2014 movie, it got me so worked up that I wanted to do a fic. So, this is kind of set in the 2014 universe, and it is written as though it's set in 2015, so imagine the guys as they are in the movie. I hope you enjoy this, and if you want me to upload more and continue writing, let me know.

Happy reading!

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* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter One: Maybe }**

On that fateful night six months ago, Raphael knew that his life had just changed for the better.

He saved eighteen year old Amelia Smith from being raped in a grotty New York subway underpass, and the girl had shown absolutely no fear when he'd revealed himself to her at her request following her rescue. She'd been so amazed by him that when he'd taken her home across the rooftops of the city, as he'd sat by her window to bid her goodnight, she practically begged to see him again. Ever since then, once a week, he would go to her apartment, she would cook him a meal or order take-out, and they'd either talk or watch movies together. They could spend hours together, and his brothers were none the wiser.

Due to _difficult_ relationships with her family, Amelia had felt the need to move away to the city. Her grandmother had left her a substantial amount of money in her will, so Amelia had taken it, left her parents behind in the suburbs and found herself a part-time job at a local book store. She had a small apartment with one bedroom, and it was probably the homeliest place that Raphael had been before. She always did her best to make him feel at home, and she didn't seem to care that he was a giant talking turtle. The truth was that Amelia had never seen a being so magnificent in her life.

He must've been at least six feet and five inches tall, and his muscles were so big that he must've been well over three-hundred pounds in weight. He had these really intense, beautiful green eyes and he had plenty of battle scars which made him look rather rugged to the eighteen year old. In comparison to Amelia's five feet and eight inch frame, he looked enormous. The first time she saw him properly, she'd referred to him as a person, and treated him like a fellow human, not a monster or a freak. She hadn't been remotely scared of him, but she'd looked at him like he was the best thing she'd ever seen.

Not only was Amelia a kind, unassuming person, but she had to be the most beautiful human that Raphael had seen since he first saw April O'Neil. He'd seen plenty of human women, whether through magazines, television or movies, but he'd never seen one quite like Amelia. Her face was almost angelic, graced with petite features, full lips and a gorgeous pair of deep blue eyes. It was becoming more and more apparent to the red-clad turtle that the more he looked at her, and the more he spent time with her, the harder his heart would beat when in her presence. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that he was more than just infatuated with her, and while she'd been more than accepting of him when they first met, he figured that any kind of romantic advances towards her would be rejected because of their physical differences.

It wasn't just the thought of Amelia rejecting him that was putting him off making a move. He had his family to consider. They had no idea that he'd let a human know of his existence like this. They had no idea that he'd put them in potential danger, and while Amelia was clearly fairly harmless, his family wouldn't be so trusting of her. Plus, he'd spent six months keeping this secret from them, and lying about where he disappeared to every Thursday night. He hated lying to them, but for once in his life, Raphael had the opportunity to have something of his own, that his brothers didn't share, and he wasn't prepared to tell them about it yet.

Explaining the sudden disappearance of his T-Phone was the hardest lie to come up with, since he'd given it to Amelia the night he'd saved her so that she could contact him. He didn't know how long he could keep lying to them, and he didn't know how long he could keep his growing infatuation for Amelia to himself either.

On this particular night, Raphael was scaling Amelia's apartment building, with both excitement and trepidation filling his heart. He was finding it more difficult to be around her because of his growing feelings for her, yet at the same time, he couldn't get enough of her. They texted each other every day, and once every few weeks, she would call him when he was alone and away from his brothers. He'd listen to her sweet, gentle voice as she'd tell him about what she'd been up to that day, then she'd listen to him as he told her about his day. It was a really good thing that they had going on, and he wasn't willing to spoil it.

As usual, Amelia was sat in the window seat of her living area, which was to the left of her couch and TV, waiting for Raphael to come. When he reached the fire escape outside her window, he peered at her through the glass, earning him that beautiful smile that made his heart hammer in his chest. She looked gorgeous tonight. She was dressed in a grey t-shirt and black yoga pants that had a pink stripe up the side. Her long, honey-blonde, loosely curled hair was tied up into a messy bun, and her feet were clad in rainbow stripy socks. Carefully, she leaned forward and opened the window before climbing off of the window seat, allowing Raphael to come inside.

"Hi, Raph." She said sweetly as he climbed inside, reaching to close the window behind him, "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." Raphael answered in his thick Brooklyn accent, stepping aside as Amelia drew the curtains.

"I've got pepperoni pizza in the oven, cola in the refrigerator and then after the pizza, I've got cherry pie for dessert." Amelia said as she started to make her way over to the small kitchen that sat behind the living area, "Make yourself at home."

Raphael looked at the coffee table that sat between the couch and the TV. It was covered in a white cloth, and there were two table mats sitting on it with a plate on each one, and a glass each for both of them. The soft light from the floor lamp that sat to his right made the living room look cosier than he'd ever seen it. He was flattered that Amelia always made the effort to set up the coffee table so they could have a relaxed meal together.

He slowly sat down on the couch as Amelia hurried around the kitchen, feeling rather awkward as he saw her rushing back with the cola bottle in her hands. He hated it that she wouldn't let him help out. He had to sit there and let her run around, waiting on him like she was some kind of slave. He didn't like her waiting on him like this.

He noticed though, as she started to pour their drinks, that she wasn't her usually, bubbly self. He could tell that something was wrong because her eyes were darker and duller than usual. She looked as though she was upset. She saw that he was looking at her and she attempted to reassure him with a smile that the turtle could tell was fake. He could practically feel her discomfort. Was it him? Did she know that he liked her? Was she creeped out?

"You okay?" He asked her as she sat beside him, "'Cause you don't look it..."

"I'm sorry." She apologised with a frown, "My mother called today. She gets... She has this way of speaking to me... It's really condescending and just... Ugh! She stresses me out, is all. But I'm not gonna let it spoil tonight."

"You sure you're okay?" The nineteen year old asked her quietly, earning a brighter, more genuine smile and a nod from her.

"I'm fine." She replied sweetly, "Anyway, I wanna hear all about these brothers and this father of yours that you _still_ haven't introduced me to."

Raphael smirked as she moved closer to him leaning on the back of the couch with her elbow, drawing her legs up onto it as well. He'd only mentioned his brothers and Master Splinter occasionally in text messages, because he hadn't been ready to go into too much detail about them. She was fascinated by him, and her eager smile made him unable to refuse her. The way she was looking at him made him want to just grab her and kiss her, but she deserved something better than that. If he did eventually get up the guts to tell her how he felt, he would do it in a better way. Or, at least he'd try to.

"Um... Well... Leonardo is the oldest." He began, clearing his throat, "I'm the second oldest. Then there's Donatello who's younger than me, and Michelangelo's the baby of the family."

"Oh, you're all named after artists?" She asked with a bright smile, "Wow... So, how old are the others?"

"We're all nineteen." Raphael explained, "See, when we were mutated, our father, Splinter..."

"He's a rat, isn't he?" Amelia asked, earning a nod from Raphael.

"Yeah, uh... He wasn't there when we hatched out of our eggs, so, he didn't know who was the oldest and who was the youngest." The turtle continued, "So, he decided to use our rate of mutation as an indicator for our ages. We're only a matter of days apart, so when our birthdays come around, we basically have two weeks of partying."

"God, that's amazing..." Amelia breathed with wonder in her eyes, "What are they all like?"

Raphael couldn't believe that she was taking such a keen interest. He still couldn't get over the fact that she hadn't freaked out when they met for the first time. It was like she genuinely cared about him, and it felt nice to have someone care about him who wasn't part of his little family circle.

"Leo is kind of a leader to us because he's the oldest." Raphael said, biting back the desire to badmouth his older brother, "He's good at it. Donnie is the nerdy one. He's a total geek but he's a tech genius. He designed the cell phone I gave you. And then, there's Mikey."

Amelia's smile broadened as she looked at the turtle in front of her. The grin on his face and the look in his eyes as he talked about his brothers was heart warming. He truly loved them all, so dearly, and it was painfully obvious that he cared deeply about his family. She admired that in a person. Family was important, and even though she didn't get on well with her parents and her siblings, her grandparents had meant the absolute world to her.

"Mikey." Raphael said again, chuckling, "He's like the class clown, you know? He's a big kid, and he gets easily distracted, but he's got a good heart. He drives me up the wall sometimes, but that's what little brothers do, right?"

"They all sound wonderful." Amelia replied, beaming at her friend, "I'd love to meet them all someday."

"Maybe one day." Raphael answered, looking away from her briefly to try and quell his throbbing heart.

The sight of her sitting there with that sparkle in her eyes and that beautiful smile on her face was getting harder and harder to ignore. He was finding it harder to control himself. She made him feel so fucking _happy_. She made him laugh, she laughed at his stupid jokes, she took a keen interest in him, she _listened_ to him. She would make him feel things that he hadn't felt or experienced before. She was just so _special_... He wasn't ready to share her with his brothers and his father.

"I'm just gonna serve up. Dinner should be ready." She said softly, getting up off the couch, "Then we can watch a scary movie if you want."

"Sure." He said with a smirk as she headed into the kitchen.

Raphael watched her, listening to her sweet voice as she began to hum softly to herself. Would it really be a bad thing if he at least tried to make a move? He'd seen it in movies where guys would slide their arm around a girl to try and get her to cuddle up to them. Maybe it would work. She often hid behind cushions during scary movies., and maybe he could get her to cuddle up to him so he could 'protect' her. He'd seen that happen on TV and it worked. Yeah... Maybe.

"Okay... Dinner is served!" Amelia announced, placing a large serving plate in the middle of the coffee table with an enormous pepperoni pizza sitting on it, "Dig in."

"Thanks for this." Raphael said quietly, "I feel kinda bad that you run around after me week after week."

She gave him a rather irritated look, which was not what he expected.

"You saved my life, Raph. How many times do we need to have this conversation?" She asked him, her tone of voice still soft, "Please... Just... I'm never gonna be able to repay for saving me from having my life destroyed, and having it possibly taken from me. Just let me try and show my appreciation."

"You don't have to try and repay me." Raphael told her, letting out a heavy sigh as he rubbed a three-fingered hand across his face, "But, if doing this makes you feel better, then I'm sorry I mentioned it."

"D-Don't apologise." Amelia stuttered, taking a drink of her cola, "I should be apologising. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just that... I really enjoy your company, and I feel like the least I can do is cook you a meal when you did something so wonderful for me."

Raphael felt his breath catch in his throat.

"You enjoy my company?" He asked her as she started to reach for the pizza.

"Of course." She replied with a grin, "You're awesome. I love spending time with you. You're the only real friend I have out here, and you're actually a better person than most humans in this city."

Raphael had never had someone say that to him before. Gingerly, he reached forward and grabbed a slice of pizza, putting it on the plate that was in front of him. He looked at her as she continued to pile up her plate with pizza before following suit. She looked back up at him and gave him a warm grin, taking a huge bite out of the large slice in her hand.

"Mmm!" She hummed, "This is yummy!"

 _'You're yummy...'_ Raphael thought, instantly mentally slapping himself, _'Really? Did I actually just refer to this girl as_ yummy _?! Ugh... What the fuck?!'_

"Raph? Are you listening?"

"Huh?" He asked her, taking in the annoyed look she gave him, "Sorry."

"No, it's fine." She replied, swallowing a mouthful of pizza, "Are _you_ okay? You seem distant... Is it the food?"

"What? No." Raphael tried not to look as stunned as he felt, "I'm fine."

Amelia had learned quickly to not push Raphael when he was either angry or out of sorts. It was just best to leave him to figure out his issues in his own time, because it was clear to her that he preferred it that way. She simply smiled sweetly at him again, nodded and then took a drink of her cola. Raphael was grateful that she knew not to push him into talking. She seemed to know him better than his own brothers who'd lived with him for nineteen years. He took a bite of the pizza and hummed appreciatively,

"This pizza's great." He added, causing her to giggle, "I can't wait for dessert."

"Let's see if you get through this first." Amelia said cheekily, nodding towards the pizza with a grin.

"Is that a challenge?" He asked her, raising an eye ridge thoughtfully at her.

"You want it to be?" She countered, raising her eyebrow in return.

Holy shit, was she _flirting_ with him? He hated not being able to tell. Obviously because of what he was, he couldn't observe human behaviour outside of television and movies, but from the look of it, Amelia was flirting with him. Or, was he reading too much into it? Why the hell was this so fucking _frustrating_?

"You're on." He told her, "Who ever eats the least has to wash the dishes."

The wicked smile he was met with almost made his heart explode out of his chest. He felt his own face break out into an equally wicked smile, and as her pink tongue peeked out to wet her lips, she gave him a nod, picking up another slice from her plate.

"Deal."

* * *

Raphael couldn't believe what was happening. Amelia was curled up to him with her head half buried in a cushion, and half hidden in his plastron, fast asleep. The movie, which neither of them found too scary, was still playing in the background, but Raphael could only focus on the beautiful girl that was curled up to his side. Her hand was holding his spare one, and as he examined the dainty, five-fingered limb, he couldn't believe how soft her skin was.

What was he supposed to do with her now? He didn't really have the heart to move her but he knew that he had to go home or he'd have his brothers on him like a ton of bricks demanding to know where he was. With a sigh, he gently eased Amelia up into a sitting position, which caused her hand to fall from his. He scooped her up into a comfortable position, and then stepped out of the living area towards the small corridor that led to her bedroom, trying to keep her close to him as he walked with her in his arms.

"Raph?" Her voice was thick with sleep as she mumbled.

"Shhh..." His attempt at soothing her seemed to work, "Go back to sleep."

He quickly opened the door to her bedroom, and stepped inside. Carefully, he supported her with one arm, pulled back her thick duvet cover and then gently placed her on the mattress before bringing the covers up and over her. He felt her hand on his arm as he carefully arranged the covers around her feet, and he looked down at her as she groggily opened her eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered, snuggling into her pillows, "Goodnight, Raphael."

God, his heart... She looked so innocent, and so damn _beautiful_. Raphael almost sighed as he looked at her. No human woman had ever gotten him this worked up before, not even April, and he knew at this realisation that he was screwed. He was in such deep trouble...

"Night, Amelia." He finally answered her, swallowing down the lump in his throat, "I'll text you later."

"Sure." She hummed, settling back down to sleep, "Be an angel and close the window behind you this time."

With a smirk, Raphael went towards her bedroom window and opened it carefully before climbing out into the night air. He closed the window behind him quietly, and cast one last, longing look at the eighteen year old as she turned over and got comfortable under the covers, before he left her and disappeared into the night.

~ To Be Continued ~

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 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **If you want more, let me know! :)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	2. Explanations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! I'm working on a chapter a day and uploading a chapter a day, so it'll definitely get finished. I rarely finish anything I start, but I'll be damned if I don't do this one. Thanks for the favourites, reads, follows and reviews so far! It means the world to me!

 **DaLadyofSouls:** Thanks for your review! Believe me, I intend to keep it up :D

 **The Silvernote:** The chapters are all around the same length, so you won't be disappointed. Thank you so much for saying it's written well. Quality is something that I always strive for in my stories.

Happy reading, guys!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Two: Explanations }**

"Raph, we're just worried about you!"

Raphael had been having this conversation every week for the past three months. He was getting sick and fucking tired of Leonardo sticking his beak in where it didn't belong. He wasn't willing to talk about Amelia yet. He was enjoying having her company to himself, and having someone of his own to spend time with outside of his family unit. He hated having to share everything with his siblings and Leonardo was now starting to seriously get on his nerves.

"Well, I keep telling you, you don't need to fucking worry!" Raphael yelled, "I don't bug you guys about what you all do on your nights off! I don't care what you all get up to! So, why does it matter that I like to go for a run on a Thursday night, or that I want to get out of the lair for a few hours? Why is that a fucking issue?"

"It's an issue because you've started spending more and more time locked in your room, and then you disappear for hours every week and don't tell us anything!" Leonardo shouted back, "We're worried for you! You don't talk to us about _anything_! If there's something going on in your head that's making you need to get away from us, you need to tell us!"

"Get off my back, Leo!" Raphael warned him, "I just go out for a run and fresh air. I get out of the confines of this fucking place, and go to clear my damn head! Why is that so wrong?"

"It isn't wrong, Raph." Leo's voice was quieter now as he folded his arms, "We just care about you. We all love you and we want to know you're okay."

"We have this same conversation every fucking week, and you ruin my night off." Raphael snapped, "Leave me the fuck alone. I'm fine. If I wanna blow of some steam by running across some rooftops, I'll do it. I don't answer to you."

With that, Raphael stormed away from his brother and up to his room. Leonardo practically slapped a hand to his face with a heavy sigh, watching his younger brother's bedroom door slam shut. Raphael was so incensed that he almost punched something, but as his mind drifted back to the beautiful blonde he'd just left on the surface, his anger started to slowly fizzle out.

No, no, no. Leonardo was _not_ going to spoil this night for him. He'd been with a wonderful, amazing girl, who made him feel happier than he'd felt in a long fucking time. She'd curled up to him and fallen asleep on him, holding his hand. Her dainty, beautiful five-fingered limb had been clutching his rough, scaly, three-fingered one like her life depended on it. She was like a breath of fresh air for him. He loved spending time with her. So, he wasn't about to allow his stuffy older brother to make him feel bad about it.

After a brief moment to catch his breath, he sat down on his large bed, running his hands over his head. What was this girl doing to him? When she'd given him that cheeky grin after challenging him to a pizza eating contest, he'd briefly lost the feeling in his legs. When she was laying in that bed, looking so peaceful and content, his heart and stomach had lurched in a really unusual way. Was it just infatuation, or was this something else? He was so torn. What if he got the guts up to make a move and she told him that a romantic relationship couldn't work between them? What if it couldn't work because of their physical differences?

This wasn't the same kind of friendship he had with April just because of how easily Amelia had adjusted to him. There was no fear, no discomfort. Nothing. She just accepted him for what he was without fainting or screaming. She asked questions about what he liked and disliked. She wanted to hear about his family. In a million years, he'd never expected a human to be so genuinely interested in him, or so kind to him.

Frustrated, he lay back against his thick pillows and stared up at his ceiling, trying to think of the best way to handle not only his feelings for her, but also how to tell his family about this wonderful girl.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Raphael and Amelia continued to see each other every week as normal. Every time they met, it was getting more and more difficult to be around her, because Raphael's feelings were growing stronger, and stronger. With every message, every phone call, every look, every touch, and even every smile, he was finding himself falling harder, and harder for the eighteen year old girl.

As music played quietly through her apartment, Amelia lay on her couch with her back against Raphael's plastron, while he relaxed in the corner of the couch with his feet on the coffee table.

"Raph... Can I ask you something?" Amelia asked him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah." He replied gruffly, looking at her as she tilted her head back to look at him.

"Why haven't you told your family about me?" She asked quietly, turning properly and sitting up so that she was facing him, "Are you ashamed of me?"

Raphael felt a flicker of horror rush through him as she stared up at him with those big blue eyes, which were sparkling as though they were going to fill with tears. He had no idea that she was upset about not meeting his family, and he had no idea that she thought he was ashamed of her. He stared at her for a moment, aghast.

"What the hell gave you an idea like that?" He asked her, genuinely stunned.

"I-I just thought that you didn't want them to know about me because you were embarrassed or something..." She stuttered, her eyes growing even wider, "Sorry... I just... I really want to meet your family. My family is awful, but yours... They sound wonderful, and I just..."

"It's not you..." He told her, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well... I suppose it kind of is, but it's not that I'm ashamed. We do have a couple of human friends, but... We have to be careful about who finds out about us. And, it's not just that, but if our enemies find out about you, you're in danger too. My brothers and father are protective over this secret, you know? We just want to be safe, I guess."

"I understand." Amelia whispered, clearing her throat as she reached out to take his hand, "But keeping this from your family can't be easy for you. You sound like you're a close family unit. Wouldn't it be better for them and you if you told them?"

"Maybe." Raphael shrugged, "But, I share everything with my brothers. I only have a few things that are truly mine, and your friendship is one of them. I don't want to share you with them. I know that sounds dumb..."

It really did sound dumb now that he'd said it out loud. He buried his head in his hands, shaking it in disbelief. He did _not_ just tell her that he didn't want to share her with his brothers... That was it. He'd probably just royally fucked everything up as usual, and he was expecting her to call him pathetic, or something worse, and then kick him out. Instead, however, he heard a sweet giggle from her as she placed her hands on his bandanna clad head and lifted it from his own hands, giving him a gentle and warm smile.

"That's not dumb at all." She told him, "That's actually really sweet. But, I still think that your family should know about me. I know about them, don't I? It's only fair."

Raphael considered this for a moment. Amelia had a point. She knew a lot more than she probably should, and his family didn't even know she existed. With a deep sigh, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he thought about it for a moment. At least it would get Leonardo off his case about where he went every week, and if his father was worried, it would give him some peace of mind too.

"Okay." He sighed, rubbing a large hand over his face, "I'll talk to them tonight, and I'll call you to let you know how it went. Alright?"

"That's great." She gave him a beautiful smile and leaned forward with open arms, wrapping them around his strong shoulders and his neck to hug him, "Thank you, so much. It means a lot to me. And I'm sorry that I thought you were ashamed of me. I should've known..."

"Nah, I kinda feel bad that you got that impression." He said as she let him go, "Anyway, I'm not ashamed of you. You're kinda cool to hang out with."

When her smile widened, Raphael's heart thundered in his chest. She looked so beautiful, and as she arched her eyebrow, he felt his stomach flip. She was like an angel. She sat back slightly and a strand of her honey-blonde hair fell in front of her face, which she quickly brushed out of the way. She was looking at him as though she couldn't believe what he'd just said to her.

"I'm kinda cool to hang out with?" She asked him, "Really?"

When Raphael nodded, she found herself blushing again and she ducked her head, patting him on the arm.

"You're cool to hang out with too." She replied sweetly, leaving her hand lingering on his skin as she briefly rubbed his forearm.

"You mean that?" He asked her as she moved her hand back to her lap.

"Yeah." She whispered, leaning forward and giving him a kiss on his rough cheek, "Now, would you like some ice cream?"

Mesmerised by the feeling of her lips against his skin, Raphael's breath caught in his throat. He gazed at her with a slightly slack-jawed grin and he managed to nod, licking his lips briefly to wet them.

"Sure."

* * *

When Raphael returned to the lair, he was met again with a rather unimpressed looking Leonardo. Michelangelo and Donatello were standing behind him, looking a little sheepish. Donatello didn't like to get involved in the arguments that his older brothers had. Michelangelo always had to make smart comments, but it usually end up with a thwack around the back of the head from Raphael. The red-clad turtle took a deep breath, held his hands up and took a step towards them all, clearing his throat.

"Look... We need to talk." He said quietly, "Where's Sensei?"

"In the dojo." Leonardo said, his expression softening, "Come on."

They all headed to the dojo where their father, Splinter, was meditating. Raphael approached him slowly, kneeling down in front of him as quietly as possible so he didn't disturb the meditating rat. He waited patiently for his father to respond to him in some way, and after a few moments, the rat's eyes opened, and he looked right at his son.

"Raphael?"

"I need to tell you all something." Raphael said in an unusually quiet voice, "It's important."

Splinter's eyes softened. His second eldest son was almost childlike; guilty expression, head bowed, voice quiet... It was _very_ unlike him. As worry briefly settled in the pit of his stomach, Splinter reached out carefully and placed a gentle, comforting hand on his son's shoulder. He didn't like the thought of his sons being anxious about telling him things. It was almost like they feared his reaction.

"Of course, my son." He replied, looking to his other sons, "Do you want your brothers to be present?"

"Yes, Sensei." Raphael said with a nod, looking up as the others came and sat around them, "I need you guys to listen to me before you freak out, okay?"

"Raph, just tell us what's going on." Leonardo said quietly, "We've been worried about you."

Raphael sighed. He'd been so damn nervous all the way home because he knew that his brothers would probably start asking him a million and one questions before he had a chance to tell the story properly, and Leonardo would be in his face about their safety and everything else. This was his family, who he loved and cared for, no matter how he behaved around them sometimes, but the thought of being open and honest with them about Amelia was making him feel nauseous. He felt like he'd betrayed them.

"Six months ago, I saved a girl from being raped in an underpass. She was adamant that she wanted to see me, and I know I shouldn't have, but I let her." He admitted, hearing shocked gasps from his brothers.

"Raph! What were you thinking?" Leonardo asked him, shocked.

"Leonardo." Master Splinter said sternly, "Allow your brother to explain."

Ignoring the rather angry look that Leonardo was giving him, Raphael took another deep breath. He knew this would happen, but rather than get pissy about it, he figured that it would be best to just continue with his story and deal with the backlash afterwards. If he didn't get the rest of it off his chest now, he'd end up bolting, which he didn't want to do.

"She didn't scream, she didn't faint, she didn't holler... Nothing. She was the most accepting person I've ever come across. She was so damn thankful that I'd saved her that the way I looked never entered into the conversation." He told them, unable to help the small half-smile that settled on his face, "She didn't feel safe walking home alone, so I took her home. I gave her my T-Phone, which was what really happened to it. I know that she hasn't said a word to anyone about us. She doesn't speak to her family, she lives alone, she doesn't really have friends other than work colleagues, and if she told them, who'd believe her, huh?"

He rubbed a hand across his face and looked up at his father, whose expression was still very stern, which made him uncomfortable. Even though he was rebellious, he hated the thought of his father being _disappointed_ in him. Angry, he could deal with, but disappointed? No... No, that was much worse than angry.

"She begged to see me again. And I've been going to her every week ever since." He sighed heavily, "She's sweet, she's kind and she treats me like I'm a _person_. She wants to meet you all so badly that I've decided it was time to tell you where I've been going for the past six months. I really like spending time with her and I haven't said anything, because I knew that you'd freak out. I'm sorry I haven't been completely truthful, but I didn't want you guys to stop me seeing her."

After a moment of silence, a soft voice cut through the quiet like a knife, and it made the red-clad turtle's chest tighten painfully.

"Raphael."

Raphael couldn't do it. He wanted to look up into the eyes of his father, but he couldn't. It hit him, as he relayed his story, that he had put his family in an unbelievable amount of danger, and the only thing that had been in his mind was his own selfish desires. Wasn't talking about it supposed to make him feel better? If so, why did he feel like a fucking _traitor_.

"Look at me, my son."

Raphael did, finally, lift his head to look at his father, who reached out and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder again. Splinter knew in his heart that his son hadn't meant his family any harm. He also knew that he had to trust his sons' judgement in the decisions that they made. He knew he would have to meet the girl in question in order to assess whether or not she was a danger to them, but he doubted that Raphael would have willingly or selfishly put them in harm's way.

"I would like you to bring this girl here as soon as possible so that we can meet her." He said quietly, "I am glad that you have met someone who wishes to spend time with you and who does not pass judgement on your appearance. However, we do not know if she is a danger to us or not, and as you have been dishonest about your meetings with her, you are to take your brothers' cleaning duties for the next month."

"Yes, Sensei." Raphael answered, bowing to his father before looking up at his brothers, "See. Now you know where I've been."

"What, putting us all in danger, you mean?" Leonardo snapped, crossing his arms.

"Leonardo." Splinter said with a glare, "Your brother has apologised for his dishonesty, and I'm sure that very soon, we will meet this girl, who has been incredibly kind to him. Raphael has been punished for his actions, and as such, this conversation is now over. To bed with all of you."

They all bowed to their father and stood slowly from the floor. They each turned to leave the dojo, while Raphael headed past them all with a grunt and made his way to go to his room. He wanted nothing more than to just go to bed and get out Leonardo's way for a few hours, but as he was about to make his way up to his room, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Donatello looking at him behind those ridiculously large glasses of his.

"Leo's not speaking for all of us, you know." The younger turtle said quietly, "I doubt you put us all in danger on purpose, and while it was kinda dumb to just go and let another human in on our secret, it'll be cool to have a new face around here."

"Thanks, Donnie." Raphael muttered, nodding at his younger brother, "Don't stay up too late."

Donatello grinned at his older brother and turned on his heel to head to his lab, while Raphael began climbing up to his room. Closing the door, he pulled out his phone and dialled his old number, only to hear a very groggy sounding Amelia on the other end of the line. Her voice was just what he needed to hear right now, just to stop him from losing his temper.

" _Raph?"_

The red-clad turtle winced. He hadn't meant to disturb her, but she did say she'd wait up for his call. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand over his face, feeling his own exhaustion catching up with him.

"Sorry for waking you, Amelia..." He muttered, "Uh, my family want to meet you as soon as possible. So, is tomorrow okay?"

" _Tomorrow's fine."_ Amelia replied sleepily, _"Did it go okay?"_

"I gotta do my brothers' chores for a month, so I think I got away lightly considering I've been telling lies for six months." Raphael chuckled, "I'll come and get you tomorrow at the usual time."

" _Sure."_ Amelia said softly, _"Goodnight, Raph."_

"Night, Amelia." Raphael replied, hanging up the phone and placing it on his makeshift night stand.

He didn't know whether to be nervous or excited. Leonardo hadn't taken too kindly to the thought of another human knowing about their existence, but Donatello and Michelangelo seemed more open minded. Amelia would be giddy as hell, no doubt, but what saddened him was that now, his secret, _his_ friend would have to be shared with his brothers. Just like everything else.

He also didn't want Leonardo's attitude to upset Amelia either. He hoped that his older brother wouldn't be so cold towards her considering that Amelia was such a warm, accepting and kind person. He got the feeling that if Amelia felt like she'd done something wrong, she'd make an excuse and ask to leave, which he didn't want. He decided that it would be better to talk to Leonardo about that the following day.

He had a feeling that he wasn't going to get any sleep that night because his head was so full of shit. It was like a minefield in there. He was so conflicted about his feelings for Amelia that he was half angry, but half pleased that she was finally going to meet his family. However, he was also feeling very apprehensive. He didn't want his father to send her away, because he had no idea what he'd do if she was forced out of his life.

With a heavy sigh, he took off his gear and settled on his large bed, laying with an arm behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. The next day would be make or break. If things didn't go well, it was possible that he'd never get to see Amelia again.

He couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her any more, so, with her beautiful face in his mind, Raphael settled down to try and sleep, pushing down his worries about the following night.

~ To Be Continued ~

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 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

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	3. Meet and Greet

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Thanks to everyone who's favourited, read, reviewed and followed this story so far. It means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope that I get some more feedback from you guys regarding this.

Happy reading!

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* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Three: Meet and Greet }**

The feeling of Amelia's hands in his own was wonderful for Raphael.

She was putting every ounce of trust in him that she could as he walked her through the sewers, the blindfold tightly wrapped around her eyes. The eighteen year old's grip on him was quite strong as he guided along towards the lair, and even though she was clearly anxious about the blindfold, she was doing what he'd asked of her without question or complaint. He tried to keep talking to her in order to try and relax her, but it didn't seem to be helping much. He'd offered to carry her through but she said she'd rather walk for the exercise.

What pleased Raphael even more was that she'd made the effort to look more than presentable for his family. She was wearing her thick hair down and over her shoulders, and she wore a dark red, off-the-shoulder sweater with a black vest underneath, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and her black pumps, which were totally the wrong shoes to be wearing for this walk through the sewers. Not that Raphael would say that to her, of course.

"How much further?" She asked, biting her lip nervously as her grip tightened on his hands.

"Not far." Raphael replied, "I know you don't like the blindfold... "

"No, I understand why I need to wear it, so I'll wear it." Amelia whispered, letting out a shaky breath, "I trust you."

With a rather proud smirk, Raphael continued to lead her through the tunnels until he reached the entrance to the lair. He led her inside slowly, only to be met by his three brothers, who were silently awaiting their arrival. Michelangelo was practically bouncing on the spot. Donatello was cleaning his glasses with a smile on his face. Then, there was Leonardo, who was stood with his arms folded, staring at the girl with a cold look in his eyes. Raphael shot him a glare, which Leonardo took as a sign to loosen up a little.

"A-Are we here?"

At the sound of her voice, Raphael saw his brothers look at each other and then at her, and as he slowly let one of her hands go, he cleared his throat. Everyone seemed to feel kind of nervous at this point, and all Raphael wanted was for this to go as smoothly as possible. This was the moment that she'd been waiting for, and the moment that part of him had been dreading.

"Yeah..." He told her, his voice quiet, "Are you ready?"

She let out a long breath and a nervous laugh, which brought another grin to Raphael's lips, and those of his brothers as well. He reached for the blindfold as she nodded at him, and he carefully untied it before removing it from her face, only for her lips to curve into a lovely grin as she set eyes on his family for the first time.

"Amelia, I'd like you to meet Leonardo, my older brother." Raphael spoke a little louder this time, moving her gently towards the stern looking turtle who held out his hand to her.

"Hi, Leonardo." She said sweetly, shaking his hand, "It's good to finally meet you."

"Likewise." Leonardo replied, giving her a smile that Raphael could easily tell was a forced, fake one.

Glaring at his brother, Raphael moved Amelia across to Donatello, who was just putting his glasses back on his face. Raphael's description of Donatello hadn't been wrong at all. He really did look like the nerdy one out of all his brothers, which the young girl found rather endearing. He was like the stereotypical high school nerd, with his large glasses, tall frame and rather slender looking figure.

"This is my younger brother, Donatello." Raphael said quietly, smiling as the purple-clad turtle awkwardly shook Amelia's hand.

"Hi, Donatello." Amelia said sweetly, her smile brightening as the lankier turtle shuffled on the spot.

"Oh, you can call me Donnie." He told her with a blush, feeling her squeeze his large hand in both her small ones briefly before she was moved along again.

"And this is..."

"I'm Michelangelo!" The orange-clad turtle exclaimed, his bright blue eyes widening, "But you can call me Mikey."

Before Raphael could stop him, Michelangelo had grabbed Amelia and wrapped her up in a warm hug, which caused her to break out into melodic laughter. He saw the way her eyes sparkled as Michelangelo spun her around, and it took all of his willpower to not smile like a goofy idiot at the sight of her being so happy. While Michealangelo was a complete pain in the ass sometimes, he always knew how to give someone a warm welcome.

"Oh, I can so tell that you're the baby of the family." Amelia laughed, looking back to Raphael as Michelangelo snuggled up to her, "He's so adorable..."

"You wouldn't think that way if you'd lived with him for nineteen years." Raphael huffed, stepping towards his little brother, "Alright, Mikey. Put her down. She's made an effort to look nice for tonight."

"Sorry, dudette!" Michelangelo exclaimed worriedly, letting Amelia go as she smoothed out her clothes.

"No, don't apologise." She laughed, "I've never had such a great welcome to someone's home in my entire life."

She took a moment to look around at Raphael's brothers and she placed her hands on her chest, trying to stop the emotion that was building up inside her. This family... This unique, beautiful, wonderful family had shown her more love in the couple of minutes she'd been in their home, than her own parents and siblings had shown her in a long time. The realisation of that made a lump settle in her throat, but she was determined to swallow it down. She just couldn't get over how magnificent they all were to look at, and she was pretty sure that she was going to find great friends in all of them.

"You're all so amazing." She whispered, looking at them with slightly watery eyes, "Thank you so much for inviting me here."

"We like new faces down here." Michelangelo said with a grin, "It gets boring looking at your brothers' ugly faces all the time."

"Oh, I think you're all very handsome." Amelia replied, casting a glance at Raphael as she gave him a warm grin.

"Is she here?"

At the sound of a new voice, Amelia stilled briefly, before she moved towards Raphael again, who eased her around Leonardo so that she could see his father for the first time. He noticed her tuck herself into his side slightly, like she wasn't sure what to do with herself, which wasn't exactly unexpected considering that she was meeting a giant, mutated rat for the first time. Slowly, he stepped forward with her and gave his father a weak smile as he placed a supporting hand on her lower back.

"Master Splinter, this is Amelia." He said quietly, "Amelia, this is Master Splinter. My father."

Amelia's face had lost a lot of its colour, but she still put on a smile and she reached out cautiously, meeting the rat's paw for a handshake. Leonardo was watching her intently, studying her interactions with their father, and of course, Raphael wasn't particularly keen on the looks that his big brother was shooting at the girl, who was being nothing but respectful and polite to Master Splinter.

"It's an honour to meet you, sir." She said softly, "Your son has told me so many wonderful things about you."

"Ah, likewise." Splinter replied in a gentle voice, "Now, I assume that Raphael has explained the nature of our situation to you, and that you understand why I have asked you here tonight."

"He has, sir." Amelia said with a nod, wringing her hands nervously, "And I can promise you that your family's secret is safe with me."

"You have nothing to fear, Miss Smith." Splinter told her quietly, "I sense no danger in you. But, there are some questions that I would like to ask you in private, if possible."

"Of course." Amelia nodded, continuing to wring her hands, "R-Right now?"

"Yes." Splinter replied, looking up at his second eldest son, "Raphael, would you please show Miss Smith to the dojo?"

"Yes, Sensei." Raphael answered, carefully leading Amelia away towards the dojo with Master Splinter in tow.

"See you soon, baby-doll!" Michelangelo called after her, waving with a big grin on his face.

If Raphael hadn't been walking with a very nervous Amelia, he would've gone over there and smacked the youngest around the back of his head for giving her that kind of nickname. At the door to the dojo, Raphael took Amelia to one side, and looked into her lovely eyes, which were now full of worry. He hated the thought of her being scared of his father, but he knew that she'd feel much better once she'd spent some time with him.

"It'll be fine." He promised her quietly, "I'll wait here for you."

With an anxious nod, Amelia allowed Master Splinter to head into the dojo first, and then she followed him inside, leaving Raphael outside to wait anxiously for her return. When he saw Leonardo walking over to him, he stepped away from the dojo door, speaking in hushed tones so that Amelia couldn't hear what was being said. He didn't want to disturb her or Splinter during their conversation.

"Thanks... You know... For doing your best to make sure she was comfortable." Raphael muttered, rubbing the back of his neck almost anxiously, "I know you don't trust her and I know you're pissed at me, but you've met her now, right? She's a good person."

"Listen, if Sensei trusts her, then that's good enough for me." Leonardo replied quietly, "And if she makes you happy, that's good enough for me too."

Raphael stilled at his brother's words. Had he really just said that? After the glares and the stern looks, had he really just said that he was glad that Amelia made Raphael happy? The younger turtle didn't really know what to say to that. He was so used to butting heads with his older brother, that he wasn't exactly sure of how to respond to something so positive. He settled on leaning forward and gently patting his brother on the shoulder, giving him a weak smile.

"Master Splinter won't ask her any difficult questions, I'm sure." Leonardo reassured him, "The most difficulty she's going to have as a friend of this family is putting up with Mikey."

"I can hear you guys!" Michelangelo called, walking over to them, "Anyway, I'll be her favourite, because I'm ' _so adorable'_!"

"Keep your voice down, knucklehead." Raphael scolded him, "It's taken some real guts on her part to be here tonight, so don't you spoil it for her."

"Well, I think she seems really nice."

Raphael face-palmed at the sound of Donatello's voice as he approached the dojo door, and the red-clad turtle could feel his temper beginning to get worse. With a growl, he ushered everyone far away from the dojo door angrily, earning confused looks from his brothers as he let out a very irritated sigh. He was trying not to get too angry, but he just didn't want anything to go wrong. This was an important night for both him and Amelia.

"Guys!" He snapped quietly, "If you're gonna talk about her, do it when she's not in fucking earshot!"

"We're not saying bad things about her, Raph..." Donatello protested, pushing his glasses further up his face, "We're just saying she seems like a nice girl!"

"She _is_ a nice girl!" Raphael growled, "This is why I didn't see a problem with her knowing about us! She'd never tell anyone!"

The sound of the dojo door opening caused Raphael and the others to turn towards it, and as Master Splinter and a rather peaceful looking Amelia returned, the brothers all looked to one another before looking back at her. That was over _much_ quicker than anticipated, which caused a flicker of worry to settle in the turtles' hearts. If Splinter wanted to send Amelia away, none of them really knew how Raphael would react to it.

"That was quick." Leonardo said quietly.

"Yes." Master Splinter agreed, "But as I said, I sense no danger with this girl. She has answered every one of my questions, and I am honoured to have her as a guest in my home. So, you boys will do well to make her feel at home here."

"Of course, Sensei!" Michelangelo beamed, approaching Amelia again as she played with her honey-blonde curls, "Come on, baby-doll! I wanna show you my comic book collection!"

"Michelangelo, do _not_ take her into your room." Master Splinter warned him, "Bring your comic books down here."

"Fine." Michelangelo whined, "But my room isn't _that_ bad, Sensei!"

With a pout and a sigh, he turned around and trudged off towards his room, leaving the others still standing by the dojo door. Amelia looked at Raphael curiously, leaning closer to him to whisper so that Michelangelo couldn't hear them. She seemed much brighter and happier than she had been a couple of minutes before when she was being walked towards the dojo.

"Why can't I go in Mikey's room?" She asked softly.

"Well, you can." Raphael replied, "If you don't mind finding half eaten slices of pizza that are five years old under his bed."

"Or a rotten, half eaten apple that he's got tucked away on his night stand." Leonardo added.

"Or the disgusting glass of milk that's been on top of his comic book shelf for two years." Donatello said, causing Amelia to shudder.

"Ugh..." She breathed, looking up at the others, "I would've thought with him living a disciplined lifestyle..."

"Ah, while my sons are very disciplined in the art of Ninjitsu, unfortunately, they are still teenagers." Master Splinter said, putting a comforting arm around Amelia's shoulders.

"I got them, baby-doll!" Michelangelo's voice rang out through the lair as he appeared with a huge stack of comic books, "Come on! I'll show you my favourites."

"I'm coming." Amelia laughed, giving Raphael another dazzling smile as she headed past him towards Michelangelo, who was putting his comic books on the makeshift coffee table that sat in front of the tattered sofa which he was now sitting on. Raphael watched her as she sat with his youngest brother, showing more enthusiasm that the others had the energy to show him these days. It was a breath of fresh air for all of them.

"Raphael?" Master Splinter's voice caught the red-clad turtle's attention, "May I speak with you, alone?"

"Of course, Sensei." Raphael replied quietly, following his father into the dojo while leaving a confused Leonardo and Donatello behind.

The two of them knelt down on the floor of the dojo, and Raphael looked at his father expectantly, wondering why he needed to speak to him. Splinter sighed and looked up at Raphael with an expression that the turtle hadn't seen before. It unnerved him. Splinter could be unpredictable on a regular basis, but this was something else. It was like he knew something that Raphael didn't, and the turtle didn't like that at all.

"Raphael, I would like you to answer my questions truthfully." Splinter said quietly, noticing his son's shoulders tense at his words, "This is entirely confidential, between you and I."

Raphael nodded, swallowing nervously as his father's intense stare became fixed upon him. He felt so uncomfortable, like he was under some kind of observation, which Splinter seemed to pick up on as he briefly averted his gaze. Raphael hated being stared at in that way, because it made him want to fucking _cringe._ It wasn't a nice feeling to experience.

"What are your feelings towards this girl, my son?"

Raphael stilled. His mouth went dry as he looked at his father, his heart thundering in his chest. He couldn't lie, but he wasn't exactly happy about having to tell the truth either. His feelings and emotions were difficult for him to deal with as it was, without having to share them with other people. Rubbing the back of his neck, he cleared his throat, taking a moment to compose himself.

"I'm not sure." He answered, earning a confused look from Splinter, who sat back patiently, "I mean... I feel... For a while now, I guess I've kind of started to have a crush on her..."

Burying his head in his hands for a moment, he took another deep breath. He wasn't particularly open about his feelings with anyone, but it certainly wasn't easy for him to be open with his father. Splinter, sensing his son's distress, stayed silent and waited calmly for Raphael to gather his thoughts. He knew that his son wasn't just experiencing infatuation. He could see the deeper feelings that Raphael had for Amelia in every look that the red-clad turtle gave her.

"Then, as more time's passed... I guess the feelings have... Well... They've grown stronger." Raphael admitted, clearing his throat again, "I don't know what it is, but I'm quite attached to her, Sensei."

"I see." Splinter replied with a nod, "And do you know if this girl returns your feelings?"

"You didn't ask her anything like that did you?" Raphael asked in a panic, almost slapping a hand over his mouth at his sudden outburst.

"Of course not." Splinter replied sternly, "I merely asked her what her intentions were towards you. Now, answer my question."

"I don't know if she feels the same way." Raphael answered quietly, "I haven't told her how I feel yet, because I don't how she'll react. I don't wanna spoil the friendship we have right now."

Splinter nodded as he absorbed his son's reply and he took a deep breath of his own. He felt for his son in many ways. Leonardo was sometimes too harsh on him, and Raphael had so much more to offer than his older brother believed he did. Always, Raphael tried to be the toughest out of the group, and often he didn't know how to deal with his emotions, so Splinter could only imagine how hard this was for him to bear.

"My son, this young woman has a lot of love in her heart to give." He said softly, causing Raphael to look up at him, "You are very, _very_ fortunate to have met someone who brings you such happiness, and who also has so many fine qualities. And you bring her a lot more happiness than you believe you do. If you need to discuss anything, or if you need any advice, please come to me."

"Thank you, Sensei." Raphael breathed, lowering his head again as he bowed to his father.

"Now, it would probably be advisable to go and rescue the poor girl from the clutches of your youngest brother." Splinter said with a wry smile, which widened as Raphael chuckled at his words, "You are dismissed."

Raphael stood up and bowed once more before leaving the dojo, already feeling as though some of the burden had been lifted from his shoulders. As he headed back into the main area of the lair, he was met with the sound of sweet laughter as Michelangelo showed Amelia his comic books. Donatello was handing her a cup of coffee, and Leonardo was watching from a distance with an unreadable expression on his face. Raphael approached his youngest brother slowly, taking a seat beside Amelia on the couch as Donatello headed back to his lab.

"Hey." She said with a beaming grin, her face red from laughing, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Raphael replied with a small smile of his own, "Everything's fine."

"Hey, Mikey!"

Everyone looked around as Donatello shouted from the entrance to his lab with a worried look on his face.

"Would you mind coming over here? I need a hand with something!"

Michelangelo eyed his brother for a moment, but when a sly smile appeared on his face, Raphael's face lost some of its colour. They were heading into the lab so that he'd be left on his own with Amelia. He wanted to protest, but he knew he couldn't without giving away a lot more information than he wanted to, and that pissed him off. His brothers had deliberately trapped him for their own entertainment.

"Sorry, dudette! Duty calls." Michelangelo said quietly, "I'll see you in a while."

"Okay." Amelia replied with a nod, "Have fun."

Raphael watched them go, death glaring his little brother as he wandered off giving him a thumbs up. The feeling of a soft hand on his arm caught his attention and he was met with the sight of that stunning girl, gazing up at him with those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. She began to slowly rub her hand up and down his arm, and her face held a thoughtful expression as she bit her lip nervously.

"Thank you so much for tonight." She said, removing her hand from his arm as she swallowed thickly, "I almost don't want to leave."

"You okay?" He asked her, noticing the way her eyes glazed over, "Amelia?"

"I've never been in a home with so much love in it before." She whispered, looking up at him with eyes that were full of tears, "You've all made me feel so welcome here... And...God, I'm sorry."

She quickly reached up to wipe a few tears away that had escaped onto her cheeks. Raphael knew she'd had tough relationships with her parents and siblings, but he didn't know how bad those relationships were until this moment. She was emotional because his family had shown her more love than her own. His chest ached at the sight of her becoming so upset.

"You ain't gotta be sorry." He said gruffly, gingerly reaching out to put an arm around her, "I'm glad that you feel welcome here. And _I'm_ sorry that your own family don't make you feel the same way."

After a moment of silence, Amelia looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks, which were now red and blotchy. Raphael was panicking. He didn't know how to deal with crying girls, yet as he looked over his shoulder briefly as he tried to figure out what to do, he was met with the sight of Donatello and Michelangelo, who were gesturing at him to do something. He frowned at them, confused by their weird hand signals.

When Donatello then grabbed Michelangelo and pulled him into an embrace, Raphael understood that they were trying to give him some advice. Trying to keep calm, despite being watched, Raphael looked back at the upset young girl and gently pulled her into his plastron, placing his other arm around her protectively.

"I'm really sorry." She apologised again as she began to sob, covering her face with her hands.

Panicking again, Raphael looked back to his brothers, only for Donatello to start making shushing motions with his mouth and rest his head on Michelangelo's. While he was pissed at being watched, he was grateful that his brothers were there, because he would have no idea what to do otherwise. So, steadily, he brought a hand up to cup the back of Amelia's head, and then drew her closer to him, leaning down and resting his head on hers.

"Shhh." He whispered, tightening his grip on her as her sobs got worse, "If your family can't love you like they should, then you don't need 'em. Simple. You got us now. We'll always take care of you."

Briefly lifting his head to look over his shoulder again, he was met with thumbs up and smiles, while Leonardo stood in the corner of the kitchen area and just stared at him with the same unreadable expression. Michelangelo and Donatello left, dragging Leonardo with them so that Raphael and Amelia could have some peace. The girl seemed to quieten as moved his hand to rub her back, and she soon settled against him, wiping at her eyes furiously. Taking out a small handkerchief from the pocket of her jeans, she blew her nose and wiped her eyes again, looking up at Raphael with a rather embarrassed smile.

"I'm really sorry, Raph. I'm normally better at controlling my emotions than that." She said quietly, "Thank you."

"You feeling better?" He asked her, earning a nod and a smile from the girl who wiped her eyes again, "Good. Have a drink."

He handed her the cup that sat on the coffee table in front of them and she took it gratefully, taking a long drink of her coffee. She looked around guiltily and looked up at the large turtle sheepishly, clearing her throat.

"I hope I didn't disturb anyone." She whispered, sniffling and taking another drink.

"You didn't." Raphael said quietly, "Now, come on. I wanna show you my room."

Amelia looked up at him, her eyes widening with surprise.

"Will Master Splinter be okay with that?" She asked, nervously.

"Since my room isn't a biohazard, I'm sure he'll be fine." Raphael answered with a smirk as he got of the sofa, "Come on."

Amelia clutched her coffee cup in her hands and stood up with him, following him towards his room.

~ To Be Continued ~

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 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	4. Invitations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi everyone! It's so lovely to see more favourites, followers, readers and reviewers of this story! It's amazing! I'm currently working on chapter eleven, so I am continuing to update as promised. I'm not sure how long the story will be, but I really do hope that you continue to enjoy it!

 **DaLadyofSouls:** Thanks so much for your continued support and reviews! It really does mean a lot to me, and I'm also glad that you're enjoying the story.

 **The Silvernote:** Again, thanks so much for the continued reviews and support! It brightens my day to see new reviews, and I'm pleased that you like Amelia's character and the pairing too.

Happy reading!

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* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Four: Invitations }**

"Wow... You _are_ tidy." Amelia said as she stood in the doorway of Raphael's room.

Everything seemed to have its own place, and there wasn't really any clutter in there. It wasn't excessively tidy, but it was neat and it was clean, which was more than could be said for Michelangelo's room. There was a large bed in the far corner next to the wall, with four plump pillows on it and a thick looking duvet with a _Batman_ cover on it. Amelia smiled to herself, because while Raphael seemed so mature and so manly, the teenage side of him was very apparent as she looked around the various posters that he'd pinned up haphazardly around the walls.

"My head's enough of a cluster fuck without my sanctuary being the same." Raphael answered, beckoning her inside, "Take a seat."

Rubbing her arms as she tried to settle her nerves, Amelia stepped forward and gingerly lowered herself onto the mattress, sitting on the edge of the bed with an anxious smile. She watched the handsome turtle as he moved around his room, as though looking for something. She'd been astounded when his father had asked her what her intentions were towards his son. What Raphael didn't know was that Master Splinter had been able to see right through her smiles and the looks that she'd been giving the red-clad turtle. The wise rat had openly asked her if she had any feelings of a more romantic nature towards his son, and she had said yes.

Regardless of the fact that they were different species, Amelia had found herself falling rather hard for Raphael. His very presence made her feel safer and happier than she'd felt in years. She'd had a relationship before and she had men like her father and brothers in her life, but none of them could compare to Raphael in any way, shape or form. The thing that upset her the most was that she figured he wouldn't want to be with her. It made sense to her that their physical differences would put him off wanting to have a relationship with her.

She didn't want to make the first move because she thought that Raphael might feel threatened or pressured by that, and she would rather it come from his mouth if he wanted to be with her. She knew that she could be heading for a world of disappointment, but the way that they'd been flirting lately made her wonder if there was something there between them. She just didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Everything okay?" He asked her as he turned back to her, causing to smile and nod at him gently, "You sure?"

"I'm fine. I'm just enjoying this comfortable seat." She said warmly as he sat beside her, "So, this is your sanctuary?"

"Yeah." Raphael replied, ducking his head a little, "When I get angry or stressed, I come here and either listen to music or watch a movie."

He pointed to the square television that sat on a rickety looking stand in the opposite corner of the room to his bed. Amelia nodded and turned back to him, looking into those lovely green eyes of his as he turned his gaze back to her again.

"Then, if my brothers follow me and continue to piss me off, I head out for a while to clear my head."

"At least you have an outlet." She told him, "My outlet is either music or dance. Or art. Or writing. Depending on what mood I'm in."

"That's a lot of outlets." Raphael chuckled.

"Yeah, but sometimes they all come in handy." Amelia explained, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "Like, when I'm really angry, I'll go to the studio that I rent out and dance out the anger. Or, when I feel sad, I might play my guitar to soothe myself. It all helps."

"I didn't know you danced." Raphael breathed, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Really?" She asked him with a frown, "I could've sworn I told you. I learned how to do all kinds of dances as I was growing up. Ballroom, tap, ballet... I just had my last pole dancing class on Tuesday."

"Wait... You _pole_ dance?" Raphael asked, stunned.

"Yeah." Amelia answered with a half smile, "I don't do it for money, though. I just do it for the exercise. I could do it for money if I wanted to, and I'd earn a fair amount of money doing it, but I don't feel comfortable dancing naked or in my underwear for perverted men."

"Don't tell Mikey you pole dance, or he'll never leave you alone." The turtle warned her, earning a sweet giggle from the eighteen year old.

Oh, no... Was she blushing? She felt the burning in her face as she looked back at the large turtle, and judging by the look on his face, her blush was visible. Since he'd walked into her life six months previously, he had been the best part of her week. On a Thursday night, he would go to her apartment, they would hang out, and she never actually wanted him to go home. She cared about him so much now that she couldn't imagine her life without him in it.

"You know, I'd really like it if you could spend more time here." Raphael admitted quietly, "You're a breath of fresh air. When you do everything and share everything with the same four people your whole life, it gets kinda stale."

"Really?" She asked him, stunned, "You want me to come here more often?"

"Yeah." He answered, ducking his head again, "If you want to."

"I'd love to." Amelia said with another bright grin, "Thank you."

* * *

A couple of weeks after she met Raphael's family, Amelia found herself in regular contact with the turtles as they texted her through the day, and she visited them a couple of times a week. She got on well with all of them, even Leonardo, who still seemed a little tense and closed off around her. On this particular Friday morning, Amelia had woken up to find two texts that were full of emoticons from Michelangelo, and a text from Donatello thanking her for cooking dinner for them the previous evening.

After answering their messages, she happily got herself showered, had breakfast and put on a comfortable dark blue, long-sleeved top, her black work pants, and her even more comfortable black pumps for her five hour shift at the book store. It was only a few blocks away, so she walked to work, and often stopped to pick up a coffee on the way.

As winter was now falling on the city, Amelia had taken to wearing her short, thick, dark-grey winter coat with a white, faux fur trimmed hood. She wore a lovely, light-grey crochet scarf with a matching beanie hat, and a pair of cosy black gloves to keep herself warm in the ever declining temperatures. She left her apartment with her iPod playing in her ears, her black work bag slung over her shoulder, and her hands in her pockets.

She got her morning coffee and headed to work with a smile on her face as she continued to read and answer texts on her T-Phone from the brothers. Leonardo wasn't particularly talkative. Donatello was slightly more talkative, sort of on the same level as Raphael, but Michelangelo was a quick responder and continued to plaster his messages with emoticons. When she arrived at the book store, she put the T-Phone on silent, hid it away in her bag, and headed inside to start her shift.

There were only two other people who worked there. Lillian Myers was the owner and manager, and then there was Ethan Black, who had the only full time position available at the store. Lillian's store was only relatively small, but it was well loved by the people in the neighbourhood, especially the kids. She had a designated story corner for the children to go and read in, and her books were fairly priced, unlike some of the rival book stores in the city.

As Amelia stepped inside, she was met with Ethan, who was approaching with that usual awkward body language that made her feel rather nervous. She had a feeling that the brunette liked her but he was too scared to ask her out, and she'd been trying to figure out a way to reject him if he did ask her out, or to at least talk about his behaviour when he was around her. The guy gave her the creeps, if she was honest. He just seemed to try too hard, and Amelia had always been wary of people like that.

"Hey, Mia."

God. The sound of him saying the nickname he'd given her just sent shivers down her spine, and not pleasant ones. Forcing a smile, she slipped past him awkwardly and headed over to the back room to hang up her bag and coat, trying not to gag on the overwhelming scent of his aftershave.

"Morning, Ethan." She said quietly, "Is Lillian in?"

"No, she's not coming in 'til ten." He replied with an eerie smile, causing dread to fall into the pit of Amelia's stomach, "So, I was wondering if I could maybe take you out to dinner one night next week? Maybe Thursday?"

Oh, the relief! She definitely wouldn't be able to go on Thursday because that was her night with Raphael. She had a feeling that now would be a good time to just all out reject him, considering that she was mad about Raphael, and not only that, but she just wanted him to know once and for all that she wasn't interested in him, in any way, shape or form.

"Ah..." She said quietly, taking a deep breath as she turned to face him, "I'm really sorry, but you know that my Thursday nights are taken already. And, I don't want to lead you on when I have feelings for someone else."

"I see." Ethan answered, looking rather hurt, "Sorry."

Now, Amelia felt quite bad. She bit her lip and approached him carefully, reaching out to gently rub his arm to comfort him. She'd tried to be as sensitive about it as she could be, while making the situation perfectly clear to him at the same time. She didn't want to lead him on and hurt him later.

"No, I'm sorry." She said softly, "It's not that you're not a nice guy, Ethan. It's just that I wouldn't want to go out for dinner and let you think that..."

"No, I understand." Ethan interrupted her with a sad smile, "Uh... I'll man the cash register if you wouldn't mind taking inventory."

"Sure." Amelia answered, biting her lip as he went to turn the ' _Closed_ ' sign to _'Open'_.

* * *

As she entered her apartment that afternoon, Amelia took off her coat and bag, hanging them on the back of her door before retrieving her two cell phones from the bag and heading straight for another shower. Two showers a day weren't uncommon for her if her shifts had involved shifting boxes of books around the store since that particular job always made her sweat like crazy. She always liked to have a shower before work, and after lugging heavy boxes for several hours, she'd need a second shower by the time she got home.

Just as she was getting out of this second shower, her T-Phone started ringing. Brushing her now wet locks out of her face, she wrapped a towel around herself and picked up the phone, smiling broadly when she saw Raphael's name on the caller ID. She swiped her thumb to answer it, bringing the unusual device to her ear.

"Hey, you." She answered with a grin, holding up the towel, "You've got excellent timing. I was just getting out of the shower when you called."

She heard the distinct sound of coughing on the other end of the line, and she grimaced as she gripped the phone a little tighter. Worry swept over her as she continued to the hold the towel around herself to stop it sliding down while speaking anxiously into the phone.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

" _Fine."_ He choked, clearing his throat, _"You were showering?"_

"Yeah, I just got home from work." Amelia answered, "I like to shower after my shift."

" _Oh, yeah..."_ Raphael chuckled nervously, _"Uh, I was calling because we were wondering if you wanted to stay with us for the weekend."_

Amelia stilled for a moment. They wanted her to stay with them all weekend? They'd only known her for a couple of weeks. A whole weekend with Raphael wasn't something to turn down, was it? The only thing she worried about was being able to keep her growing desires under control. Then, she thought about what had transpired today with Ethan, and she knew that a weekend with her friends would be much better than spending it alone in her apartment receiving clingy text messages from her incredibly creepy colleague.

"I'd love to." She said with a melodic laugh as a rush of excitement flooded through her veins, "I'll pack a bag."

" _Awesome. Donnie and I will be by to pick you up when it gets dark."_ Raphael explained, clearing his throat again as his voice sounded raw from the coughing fit, _"See you later."_

"Bye, Raph." Amelia replied, hanging up the phone and letting out an excited giggle.

She moved both cell phones into her bedroom, dried herself off and then dried her hair. After twenty minutes, she pulled her dry hair up into a loose bun, and then started packing a bag for the weekend. She packed three sets of pyjamas, clean underwear and socks, clean tops and bottoms and a pair of shoes for walking around the lair in. After dressing herself in her dark blue skinny jeans and a pale orange crew-neck t-shirt, she slipped on her grey and white sneaks before heading to the bathroom to hang up her towel and get a clean one, as well as her toothbrush and toothpaste. She packed her birth control pill, her hairbrush and some deodorant and perfume.

Then, she went around looking for her workout gear, since she was hoping to get some exercise in that weekend, and she packed that along with her iPod and speakers. Trying to contain her excitement, she left the bag by the front door of the apartment, and settled down to watch some TV while she waited for darkness to fall over the city. Within ninety minutes, the city was falling dark, and as she put her now cool hair dryer in the duffel bag and zipped it up, she grabbed her phones, her keys and got herself wrapped up in her winter gear.

Before long, she received a text from Raphael saying that they were waiting for her in the alleyway next to her building. Trying not to skip with joy as she left the apartment, she locked it up and headed down stairs to the street below. When she got outside, she disappeared into the alleyway next to the building and the shine of Donatello's glasses caught her eye in the headlights of a passing car. With a beaming smile, she walked towards them quickly, and wrapped her arms around Donatello's lanky form in a warm hug, before turning to Raphael. She didn't see the knowing grin on Donatello's face as she held onto Raphael for a little longer and even gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Let me take your bag." Raphael offered, taking the duffel from her with an amused smile, "Wow... How much do you need for a weekend?"

"You'd be amazed." Amelia laughed, watching Raphael hop down the manhole, leaving her with Donatello.

"Ready?" He asked her, opening his arms to her.

"Oh, sir, you're too kind." Amelia joked, putting her arms around Donatello's neck as the turtle scooped her up with one arm before beginning his descent into the sewer below.

Once at the bottom of the ladder, he placed her on the floor and then climbed back up to secure the manhole cover, joining his brother and friend once again. The group talked excitedly as they headed towards the entrance of the lair, and once they were inside, Amelia was assaulted by Michelangelo, who was whooping and swinging her around in his arms like he usually did.

"Oh, baby-doll! I'm so excited for this weekend!" He cried, squeezing her to him, "I missed you!"

"Mikey, you saw me yesterday!" Amelia laughed, squeezing him back.

"Yeah, but we like having you here, dudette!" He exclaimed, letting her go and looking at her with his big baby-blue eyes, "And now, you're gonna be here all weekend!"

"Mikey, calm down." Leonardo said gently, walking over to Amelia and placing a gentle hand on her back, "Hi, Amelia."

"Hey, Leo." The eighteen year old answered, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face before taking her bag from Raphael, "Uh, where do you want me to put this?"

"I'll take it to my room." Raphael told her, taking it back from her, "Be right back."

The sound of the door to the dojo closing caused Amelia to look towards it, and she was met with the sight of Master Splinter, who was walking towards her with a cup of tea in his hands. She smiled headed over to him, bowing to him respectfully before opening her arms to hug him.

"Good evening, Amelia." He said quietly, embracing her warmly.

"Good evening, Master Splinter." She replied, releasing the ageing rat as he nursed the almost empty cup, "Thank you for inviting me to stay."

"You are most welcome." He told her with a nod, "Have my sons discussed the sleeping arrangements with you yet?"

"No, sir." Amelia shook her head.

"Luckily, Raphael has kindly made up a space in his bedroom for you." Splinter said softly, "If there is anything you need, Raphael will deal with it for you."

Amelia's face lost some of its colour momentarily as she considered what Splinter had just told her. She'd be staying with Raphael during the night, all weekend and Splinter was happy with that, despite him knowing how Amelia felt about his son? To say he was a parent who believed in discipline, he seemed to be quite lax about them sharing a room. Raphael's room was plenty big enough for the two of them, but she didn't want to make things awkward between them, especially since she liked him so much. Unfortunately, though, right now, just looking at him was causing her legs to almost turn to jelly.

"Oh..." She replied, quickly flashing Splinter a grin, "Thank you, Master Splinter."

"So, do you need anything?"

Raphael's voice startled Amelia so much that she physically jolted, causing the others to chuckle around her as she turned back to look at the red-clad turtle with a rather playful glare. Resting her hand on her chest, she let out a shocked laugh and nodded at him in response to his question.

"First of all, don't _ever_ do that to me again." She told him, "And secondly, I was wondering if there was anywhere that I might be able to do my dancing and exercises at some point this weekend?"

"We have a dojo, baby-doll." Michelangelo piped up, "You can work out in there if you want."

"Thanks. I just didn't want to impose." Amelia said softly, casting a quick look at Master Splinter who shook his head and gave her a kind smile.

"My dear, we wish for you to treat our home as your own. If you wish to use the dojo for your own exercises, you are more than welcome to." He said in a gentle voice, taking a deep breath, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall retire to my room to meditate. Goodnight."

Everyone said goodnight to Splinter as he headed away to his room, and once he'd gone, Amelia turned to Raphael, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she put her hands in her pockets. She looked at him expectantly and then licked her lips briefly to wet them before clearing her throat. She didn't want to sound like she was unhappy with the arrangement, but she wanted to just deal with what she considered to be the current elephant in the room.

"So, Master Splinter says we're sharing a room." She said, trying to control her nerves.

"Uh, yeah..." Raphael replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "I mean, I hope that's okay... I just figured..."

"No, it's okay." Amelia reassured him with a smile, "I was just wondering if you were okay with it."

"Yeah, of course." Raphael said with a huff of laughter, moving the toothpick in his mouth from one side to the other, "I wouldn't have agreed otherwise."

As Amelia nodded in response, she tried to quell her growing nerves at the thought of sharing his sanctuary with him for the weekend. She found it really sweet of him to offer her a bed in a space that was so personal to him. She didn't want to disrupt the peaceful balance that his bedroom offered him, and she didn't want to make an ass of herself during their time together either. Trying, to push the horrid thoughts out of her, she let out a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"So... Since this is a slumber party of sorts..." She began, looking at the brothers, "What would you like to do?"

When Michelangelo pulled out the board game _Twister_ from under the old couch, Amelia felt her heart sink in her chest. Oh, these poor boys... They were about to have the ass kicking of their lives. When a wicked grin appeared on her face, everyone looked at her rather nervously. Raphael didn't like the thought of _Twister_. Amelia could easily get hurt during that game if she slipped and fell. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if she got hurt. Her next words, however, seemed to give him a change of heart about the game.

"Before we start..." She said, clearing her throat again, "I'm gonna have to slip into something more comfortable. Be right back."

She waggled her eyebrows and headed up the stairs towards Raphael's room, leaving four very stunned turtles behind. Raphael smiled. One little game wouldn't hurt if it meant he got to see her in ' _something more comfortable'_ , would it?

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

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	5. So Close

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! I'm posting this chapter a little earlier than I've posted the others, because I'm going to a wedding reception tonight and I won't get back until after midnight in UK time, so I wanted to put the chapter up earlier rather than later. Thanks for the continued support with the fic, whether you're favouriting, reviewing, following or just reading. It means the world to me.

 **Xahraxs:** Thanks for the review! There's plenty more fun coming up!

 **The Silvernote:** I'm glad that you're enjoying the quick updates, which is why I wanted to make sure this chapter got up rather than being too tired (or drunk) to upload it later. I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

If you see the term "wheel pose" and you're not sure what it means, it's just a yoga pose that is sometimes referred to as the crab pose (Or just think of the spider walk from _The Exorcist_ ).

Happy reading!

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* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Five: So Close }**

Leonardo wasn't sure that what they were doing was entirely safe.

On the _Twister_ mat, Michelangelo was leaning on his left hand and foot, Raphael was balanced on both arms and one foot, facing the floor, Donatello was balanced on his right hand and left foot, and Amelia was in a similar position to Michelangelo. She was wearing her white, v-neck t-shirt and grey shorts so that she could manoeuvre properly, and it was a good thing too, considering what her next move was.

"Amelia, right hand on yellow." Leonardo instructed, watching the young woman look over towards the yellow spots that were two spaces across from her.

To the boys' surprise, she bent herself so that she was almost in the wheel pose, which led her to be right underneath Raphael. She managed to balance with her right leg slightly lifted off the ground, and she was face to face with the bigger turtle, who tried to keep his focus on her eyes, rather than looking anywhere else.

"Sorry, Raph." She said quietly, taking deep breaths in and out through her nose as she tried to keep her balance.

"You're stronger than you look." He chuckled, finding nothing but warmth in those lovely eyes of hers as she let out a laugh.

Donatello, Michelangelo and Leonardo were all looking rather horrified at the position that Amelia had ended up in, and as Leonardo tried to concentrate on playing the game, a familiar, feminine voice filled the air, startling everyone.

"Hey!"

The sudden sound caused Michelangelo to lose his balance and knock into Raphael, who then slipped on the mat, landing on top of Amelia who was brought to the floor with him. Donatello gawked at the scene in horror for a moment before rushing to get Raphael off of Amelia, who may have had broken ribs thanks to Raphael's several hundred pounds of weight landing on top of her. To their surprise however, the girl was laughing hysterically underneath the red-clad turtle, who started to laugh with her as he lifted his weight off of her.

"Oh, my God!" She laughed, covering her mouth with her hands, "This is the most fun I've had in ages!"

Knowing that she was unharmed, the boys started to laugh with her, and as they all stood to greet the newcomer, Raphael helped Amelia to her feet. Michelangelo was already running to their friend April, wrapping her up in an embrace as he usually did with Amelia.

"Angelcakes!" He exclaimed, "We've missed you!"

The dark-haired woman smiled as everyone greeted her, and she reached across to give Amelia a hug, who eagerly hugged her in return. The yellow-clad reporter didn't miss the way the Raphael was looking at Amelia, and as she and Donatello shared a knowing smile, she looked at Amelia's attire and crossed her arms. She and Amelia had the previous week and they got along pretty much straight away. It was like they'd known each other for years.

"That's an interesting outfit for early winter." She chuckled, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"I'm staying for the weekend." Amelia replied, "These are my jammies, and the best clothes I have for playing _Twister_."

"Yeah. Nice move, by the way." April praised her with a grin, "I would never have thought to do that."

"Are you staying for dinner, April?" Donatello asked, his eyes hopeful, "We're having pizza."

"That'd be nice." April said with a lovely smile, "Thanks."

"Speaking of which..." Leonardo said, looking to Raphael who walked off towards the kitchen with a huff, "One week left, Raph."

"Yeah, yeah." Raphael muttered, dismissing him with a wave.

Amelia watched him go with a worried expression, looking up at Leonardo with sad eyes. She hated it that Raphael was being punished because of her. It had been eating her up for weeks, and she hated seeing him having to suffer repercussions because of her practically begging him to let her see him.

"It's not your fault." Leonardo told her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Besides, it's been a good opportunity for him to improve his cooking skills."

Amelia chuckled, hiding the sweet giggle behind her hand before following Raphael towards the kitchen, sitting at the large table to talk to him while he cooked. The others watched with interest as she took her hair down and shook it before dragging her fingers through it, which caused Raphael to momentarily stop and stare at her. After a few moments, it was clear that the two were getting into a deep conversation, and then Amelia began to laugh loudly at something that Raphael had said.

"They really like each other, don't they?" April said quietly as a fond smile graced her lips.

"That's what worries me." Leonardo replied with a sigh, earning him a strange look from April, "Come to the dojo and I'll explain..."

Donatello and Michelangelo started to put the _Twister_ set away as Leonardo and April crossed the other side of the lair to enter the dojo. Once inside, Leonardo closed the door, and the two of them sat on one of the benches as he tried to think of how best to explain this to April without sounding either jealous, or just plain mean..

"They make each other really happy, I know..." He began, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, "But, if anything were to happen between them, would it even work anatomically? If it did, would she stay with him? Whether Raph wants us to believe it or not, he's really attached to Amelia. What if she meets a human on the surface who she thinks is better than Raph? It'll break his heart."

"You're not being very fair to Amelia, here." April replied, frowning at Leonardo as she leaned forward as well, "I know she's only eighteen, but she looks at him like he's the most wonderful thing she's ever seen. She's probably one of the sweetest, most unassuming people I've ever met. Naive, even. She wouldn't just up and leave him for someone _'better_ '. She isn't like that. _"_

"You don't know that." Leonardo said, shaking his head, "She has a life up there. It would be a huge change if she were to commit to Raphael. It would mean having a life here... In this _prison_. It wouldn't be fair to her, and it would break his heart if she couldn't bring herself to move in here."

"Listen to me." April told him, taking his large hand in hers, "There's no point worrying about this until anything happens. For all we know, nothing will happen. I'm sure she and Raph will have this conversation between them if things get to that point."

Leonardo nodded, despite not feeling overly convinced by April's words. They stood up together and slowly left the dojo, which, thankfully, went missed by the others. The last thing that Leonardo wanted was for the others to find out what they talked about. Now, Michelangelo and Donatello had joined Amelia at the table, and they were all engaged in conversation while Raphael kept an eye on the food.

"Okay, if I can watch you guys train, I'll dance for you."

Leonardo realised that Amelia was making a deal with his brothers about observing their training, since the only thing she'd seen of their skills was the silhouette of Raphael tearing her attacker to shreds all those months ago. At least she was taking an active interest, which was reassuring to him.

"We don't have a pole."

As soon as Raphael spoke, he wanted to slam a hand over his mouth. Leonardo and April both gave each other strange looks while Michelangelo's eyes widened like huge dinner plates. Donatello blushed furiously as he found himself unable to look Amelia in the eye, and as April let out a half laugh, she folded her arms and stared at the eighteen year old.

"You _pole_ dance?" She asked, stunned.

"Not for a living. I just took classes for the exercise." Amelia replied, "It can be quite the art form once you master it. But, as Raphael so _kindly_ pointed out, there isn't a pole in the dojo that I can use, so I'll show you my ballet skills instead."

Raphael didn't turn to look at her. The tone of her voice had let him know that she wasn't too happy about him blabbing about her ability to pole dance. He knew damn well that there was a stigma attached to pole dancing on the surface, and judging by the look on Leonardo's face, he held the same belief as a lot of people on the surface. The way he was looking at Amelia was making Raphael angry.

"I'm amazed that you guys know what pole dancing is, since you usually have to go into strip clubs to see it." Amelia said, unnerved by the feeling of everyone's eyes apart from Raphael's on her.

"W-We've seen it a couple of times in music videos." Donatello admitted, trying to break the awkward silence.

Amelia needed to get out of the way, even if it was just for a few minutes. Thanks to Raphael, everyone was now attaching the stigma from the surface to her and the looks on their faces made her wish that the ground would just swallow her up. Trying to hold back the tears of embarrassment and shame, she took a deep breath and stood from her seat, forcing a smile onto her pale face.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." She said quietly, slipping past them all and power-walking to the stairs.

Once she was out of earshot, Raphael turned around and stared at his brothers and April with a rather angry glare on his face. He heard the bathroom door close and he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to keep his temper. He found that in recent months, he was getting better at that.

"What are you all thinking, huh?" He asked them, "She doesn't do it for money. She told me that she's never wanted to do it for money. So, stop staring at her like she's some kind of..."

"We're not." April reassured him, trying to keep the peace, "Are we, Leo?"

"No." Leonardo said darkly, "We're not."

"Better not be." Raphael warned them, turning back to the oven, "Pizza's ready."

He got it out of the oven and cut it up, placing it on the table before getting a couple of slices for his father and taking them across to his room. While Raphael was out of the way, Michelangelo cleared his throat and looked at his eldest brother, who still had the stony look on his face.

"Dude, it might be a good idea to not look like you want to punch something." The orange-clad turtle suggested as he served up his own food.

"Yeah, I've got a feeling that Amelia went to the bathroom out of embarrassment." Donatello added, frowning as he reached for his own food, "It's only exercise, Leo. She doesn't do it for money."

"It's none of our business what she chooses to do." April said quietly, clearing her throat, "When she comes back, we need to involve her in the conversation and maybe not talk about it. There's nothing wrong with having a hobby."

Again, the comment was aimed at Leonardo, who sat at the table with April to begin serving up their food too. When Raphael returned, everyone went quiet as he sat at the table, his eyes barely leaving the bathroom as he grabbed food for himself. Five minutes passed and still, there was no sign of Amelia. Without a word, Raphael got out of his seat and walked towards the stairs. Everyone watched curiously as he headed up to the bathroom, knocking on the door gently.

"Amelia?" He asked quietly, stilling when he heard sniffling coming from inside the room, "You okay?"

When he didn't get a response from her, he pressed his head to the door, clenching his fist at his side. If it wasn't for his big mouth, she wouldn't be locked up in there crying, like she clearly was at that moment.

"The food's going cold." He spoke softly to her, able to feel everyone's eyes on him, "Open the door."

After a moment of silence, he heard the door unlock, and it opened to reveal Amelia, who looked absolutely fine. Maybe he was mistaken and she hadn't been crying at all. She gave him a forced smile and cleared her throat, knowing damn well that the others were watching.

"Sorry, Raph. I'm coming." She said in the most civil tone that she could manage, following him down the stairs to the kitchen area.

"Don't worry, baby-doll!" Michelangelo called happily, "We saved you some."

Again, Amelia's smile was forced as she joined the others at the table. She didn't want them to think of her in a negative way. It was rare that anyone saw that kind of dancing as an art form. It was associated with sleazy things like strip clubs, more often than not, and Amelia didn't want the boys or April to have that kind of opinion about her.

"Thanks, sweetie." She replied, leaning over and planting a kiss on Michelangelo's forehead as he pushed a plate of pizza towards her, "You're an angel."

Raphael took his seat next to her again, and as the group continued to eat their meal, they did so in awkward, uncomfortable silence.

* * *

Thankfully, Amelia was mature enough to try her best to get past the awkward atmosphere after dinner, and it didn't take long for things to go back to normal. April left at eleven, and Leo and Michelangelo went with her to walk her home. Donatello bid Raphael and Amelia goodnight before heading to his lab for the rest of the night, leaving them alone in front of the TV screens in the living area.

"Listen, I'm sorry that I blabbed like that." Raphael said, rubbing a hand over his face after a few moments of quiet, "I wasn't thinking. And I certainly didn't think that you'd be that upset."

"I wasn't upset because you said it." Amelia replied, sighing as she ran her hands over her arms, "I was upset because everyone's mind immediately went to the gutter, and they took me with them. They looked at me like I was..."

"Don't even finish that sentence." Raphael told her, almost angrily, "No-one thought that of you."

"Really?" She asked him, her eyes hopeful.

"Yeah. Everyone was just surprised because it's we've never thought of it as a form of dance to learn for a hobby." Raphael replied, giving her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry."

"Thank you." Amelia whispered, rubbing her arms again as she began to shiver.

Even though she was sitting under a blanket with a hot cup of coffee in her free hand, the early winter cold was coming into the tunnels in the sewers and the air was quite icy. Donatello had done his best to provide a sufficient heating system for them, but sometimes it still got chilly down there.

"Do you wanna go to my room? It's warmer in there." Raphael suggested, earning a smile from the girl next to him.

"Sure." Amelia breathed, shivering slightly, "Maybe we could watch a movie?"

"Yeah." Raphael agreed, getting up off the couch, "Come on."

Amelia got out of her seat and followed the large turtle up to his room. She'd tucked her bag neatly under his bed, and there was a surprisingly comfortable mattress waiting on the floor for her with a thicker duvet and two pillows. While Raphael chose a movie, she brushed her teeth in the bathroom, took her birth control pill and brushed her hair before returning to the bedroom.

Raphael chose _The Exorcist_ , just because he wanted an excuse to have her by his side like he did several weeks ago. As he put the movie into the DVD player that Donatello had built for him, he tried to swallow down his nerves as Amelia walked back into his room. Her legs were beautifully shaped, and it was clear from their shape that they were well toned. She stepped out of her white tennis shoes, softly padding across the cold floor with bare, dainty feet.

"I picked a scary one." Raphael said, clearing his throat as nerves quickly set in, "I know you haven't seen it."

Amelia moved around to look at the television and she winced, gazing back up at Raphael. He knew she'd been scared of watching this one on her own, so at least she had someone to watch it with. The best part was that she wouldn't have to spend the night alone either, so she could be sleep with the safe knowledge that she was protected. The thought of watching it from the mattress on the ground, when she had a view under Raphael's make-shift bed, filled her with fear. She'd be scared of looking under the bed to see something staring back at her. Sheepishly, she started to wring her hands again and she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she stared at the floor.

"What is it?" Raphael asked her gruffly, stepping towards her.

"C-Can I...?" She began, swallowing thickly as a sharp intake of breath caused her to stumble on her words, "Can I watch it with you... On your bed?"

Raphael felt his insides quiver with joy. His plan had worked! She wanted to watch it with him, and since the room was rather cold, he figured that Amelia might want to even get _into_ his bed so that she could keep warm. He nodded, looking towards the discarded coffee cup that now sat on his night stand.

"Sure. I'm gonna go and get something to drink. Do you want a top up?" He asked her, picking up the cup in question.

"Could I just have water, please?" She nodded, her blush disappearing from her cheeks.

"Yeah." Raphael replied, stepping past her towards the door of his room, "Be right back."

Nodding again, Amelia stood still as he headed past her to go and get them both a drink. She looked around his room, which was lit by a single lamp that sat on the night stand next to his bed, and she felt uncomfortable again, almost like she was invading his space. At least she didn't have to watch the movie from the floor, now. But, what would it be like to share a bed with the turtle? She'd fallen asleep on him before but she'd never been next to him in such close quarters. The thoughts of their skin touching and their limbs being entwined began to enter her head, and as a small, thrilling rush flew through her small frame, Amelia rubbed her arm again, trying to push the invading images away.

The sound of the door closing caught her attention, and she turned around to see Raphael standing there with two bottles of water in his hand, looking at her curiously. He walked past her again and put the bottles down on the floor next to the bed, watching her as she gave him one of those lovely, sweet smiles.

"It's cold in here." He said, his deep voice sending pleasant chills down her spine, "Come on. Time for the movie."

Amelia watched him as he got under the covers, moving to the side of the bed that was closest to the wall. The thick pillows were almost overlapping each other so that they created a comfortable support for both of them, and as Raphael turned onto his left side, he beckoned her towards him.

"You don't have to get under the covers if you don't want to." He said quietly, his eyes bearing into hers, "But it _is_ cold in here."

Amelia, still silent, stepped closer to him and took the hand that he was holding out to her, before climbing into bed beside him, allowing him to cover her with the sheets. She was still shivering, so as she passed Raphael the remote, she rubbed at her arms to try and warm herself up.

"Turn off the light." Raphael said, his rough voice sending more chills down her spine, "Let's make this interesting."

"I swear, you're torturing me." Amelia muttered, turning off the lamp as asked before gingerly leaning back against Raphael's plastron, his left arm stretching across her pillow as though acting as a support for her, "Is this going to be really scary?"

"People fainted at movie theatres when it first came out in the seventies." He told her, bravely leaning closer to the girl's ear to do so, "So, yeah. It's pretty scary. But don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Good." Amelia replied with a grin, settling against him comfortably, just as she had many times before.

As the soft flesh of her thigh caught against his rougher, more muscular one, neither of them missed the intake of breath that the other made. So, as Raphael pressed play on the remote, Amelia settled down against his arm and pulled the covers around her shivering form, trying to quell the burning need that was slowly slithering its way through her body.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	6. Elegance

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hello again! Am I glad I uploaded the last chapter when I did! I got a little drunk last night and was in no fit condition to upload anything when I got home, and I've paid the price today. Thank you for the continued support with this story so far! I really hope you enjoy this new chapter as well, and I'm still plenty of chapters ahead, so the story is continuing to develop.

 **The Silvernote:** Thanks so much for your continued support! It really means the world to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Happy reading!

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* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Six: Elegance }**

After about forty minutes, _The Exorcist_ had been abandoned, replaced by one of Raphael's favourite movies, _Die Hard_.

Not that he and Amelia were paying much attention to it. They were too busy trying to calm themselves down as their heads swirled with thoughts of how good it was to be curled up in Raphael's bed watching movies together. She actually hadn't done this with a boy for a long time. Not since her last relationship, which had ended over a year previously due to her boyfriend cheating on her. She still felt stupid for giving her virginity to that two-timing bastard.

As he looked down at the girl in his arms, whose eyes were fixed on the television opposite, Raphael couldn't bear to keep his feelings a secret any more. It hurt too much to have her laid here with him like this, and to not be able to touch or kiss her. She looked so beautiful, relaxed and warm under the sheets where their bodies were close together, and even though their skin was touching, his rough and hers smooth, she wasn't flinching or trying to get away. Raphael decided that he'd had enough of guessing whether or not there was something between them or not. It was now, or never.

Amelia felt a calloused hand steadily making its way across her waist and around to her stomach, and the sweet realisation washed over her like the spray of a warm shower. He was holding her. She stilled for a moment as she felt his hand slip under the cotton of her t-shirt, and as his large fingers brushed against the skin of her belly, she carefully turned over, causing him to move back slightly to give her a little more room.

His hand rested on her flat abdomen as she gazed up into his eyes, and all she could see was fear and uncertainty. Biting her lip, she reached up with a delicate hand and placed it on his cheek, stroking lightly with her thumb. She could feel him breathing heavily as his eyes closed, and he leaned down cautiously, pressing his head to hers. Her heart hammered in her chest, causing her eyes to close as well as she tilted her head up, leaving their lips inches apart.

His hand slid to her hip as his left arm curled around so that his left hand could gently tangle in her honey-blonde hair, and finally, in one final act of courage, he leaned down and pressed his large mouth to hers. He heard her take in a sharp breath as she slid her hand around to cup the back of his head, and as she pulled him closer, she opened her mouth more to give him better access to her lips. Their movements were slow and tentative as they explored each other's mouths for the first time, and when they broke apart, they pressed their foreheads together again to try and calm their nerves.

"I really like you." Amelia whispered, trembling as the turtle held her tighter.

"I really like you, too." Raphael answered her just as quietly, finally opening his eyes to look at her as he pulled back.

Her eyes were still closed, but a stunning smile made its way onto her now flushed face as she brought her hand back to his cheek. The turtle's left hand rested on her upper arm now, keeping her cradled gently to him, and as she finally opened her eyes, she drew her lips together in a tight line as she savoured the feeling of his lips on hers. He watched her, feeling stunned that she was having this positive reaction to what had just happened. He'd never felt so fucking vulnerable in his life.

"Are you sure you want this?" He asked her quietly, his eyes drifting to those beautiful lips, "Are you sure you want _me_?"

To answer his question, Amelia leaned forward and kissed him again, pressing her lips hard against his as he clutched at her almost desperately, holding her tightly to him. They kissed one another passionately for a few moments before breaking apart, chests heaving and hearts racing. She looked up at him with those sparkling blue eyes of hers, and she let out yet another breathtaking smile.

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life." She told him, curling up into the warmth of his arms, "You really are the most wonderful guy I've ever met."

Raphael pressed himself into her, bringing his lips to hers again as the tidal wave of doubt filled his head. She couldn't be serious about wanting a romantic relationship with a freak like him, could she? Her insistence seemed to suggest that she was serious, which was a dream come true for Raphael. The feeling of her mouth dancing with his was enough to push all of those doubtful thoughts away, because all the turtle could do was get lost in the sensation of their lips meeting and parting. Amelia sighed as she was pulled closer to him and both her hands moved to his face, cradling him gently as though a wrong move could send him reeling away from her. As she felt him pressing harder against her, she opened her lips further, deepening and intensifying the kiss.

Raphael had never been so turned on in his life. If they didn't stop now, he didn't know if he'd be able to. So, pulling back, he cupped her face in his large hand and brushed some of her hair away from her face, giving her a soft smirk.

"This ain't gonna be easy, you know." He told her softly.

"I don't care." She replied, her eyes wandering over his face as she looked at him with wonder, "You're worth the challenge."

Letting out a genuine, wide smile, Raphael chuckled bashfully, ducking his head. She really wasn't going to give up, and frankly, he didn't want her to. Rather than be negative about this situation, Raphael wanted to try and be a little more optimistic since he was incredibly lucky to be having this experience. Amelia was genuinely a very lovely girl, who most guys probably _dreamed_ that they could have. He just couldn't believe she felt the same way as him and that he was the one who had her.

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight." She whispered, looking at him with a frown, "I don't want to sleep on the floor on my own."

"While I'd love for you to stay here, we can't." Raphael whispered back, "Someone could just walk in, and I don't want to let the others know about us yet."

He was met with yet another lovely smile, and she nodded, letting out a sigh as she went to get out of Raphael's bed. The turtle tightened his hold around her, causing her smile to grow even wider.

"Where are you going?" He asked her, smirking, "The movie isn't over yet."

"Well, I wouldn't want someone to just walk in." Amelia muttered with a smirk of her own, kissing him once more before climbing out of his embrace, shivering at the wave of cold air that hit her.

Raphael grinned again, watching as she settled on the floor on her mattress, wrapping the thick duvet around herself He then noticed her arms wrap around her own body, as though she was holding herself. Then, her head ducked towards her chest, and she let out a deep breath. Maybe she felt like he'd rejected her and was trying to hide it. He didn't want her to think that, considering what had just happened between them, so, he left his own bed to kneel on the hard floor beside her, and he carefully turned her over before pulling her into a sitting position.

"I'll lock the door." He whispered, helping her to stand as she gripped his hand tightly, "Come back to bed."

The words make her legs tremble, causing her to almost lose her balance. Carefully, Raphael led her back to his bed, scooped her up and laid her on the mattress, covering her with his own duvet. The two shared a look and it suddenly made Raphael feel very self conscious, like tucking her in had taken away from his tough-guy image that he liked to keep up.

"It's cold." He muttered the excuse without even meeting her eyes before turning his back to go and lock the door.

She watched him bolt his door quickly, and then he slowly came back to her, causing her to curl up her legs so that he could join her in bed again. He climbed back in beside her, and they returned to the position they'd been in earlier. Raphael felt her sigh as she relaxed against him, and she placed her right hand in his left as it rested open on the mattress next to her pillows, his left arm trapped beneath her small frame.

"This is nice." She said quietly, tilting her head back to look at him, "I haven't been held like this in over a year."

Raphael was a little disappointed that someone else had been able to do this before him, but he knew that she'd probably had boyfriends before she met him. He figured that lots of guys at her school would've wanted to be with her, considering her beautiful appearance and sweet nature. Wetting his lips briefly, Raphael cleared his throat and tightened his hold slightly on her hand as he braced himself to ask his next question.

"What was your last boyfriend like?" He asked her, noticing worry cross her face for a brief moment, before she relaxed again.

"My last boyfriend was my first boyfriend." She admitted, her cheeks reddening with the onset of another blush, "And, he was an ass. He put me down, made fun of me, and then cheated on me. I was stupid to let him take my virginity, but I did. Now, I wish I'd waited."

Raphael's chuckle was gruff and low, while a wicked grin made its way onto his face.

"Darlin', you wouldn't want to lose your virginity to me." He said, letting out an almost bitter laugh as she gazed up at him again.

"Why?" She asked him, her brow furrowing, "If I'd known a man like you was gonna come along, I'd have waited. Anyway, let's not talk about this any more."

Raphael nodded in response to her request and watched her as she rearranged herself in his arms, her attention drawn away from _Die Hard_ as she gazed up into his beautiful eyes. Bringing her hand to his face, she softly caressed him before cupping the back of his head again, her thumb stroking him soothingly. He was just so amazing. The physical differences didn't even enter Amelia's head at this point. He was just so unique, so intense and so interesting. He was kind, brave and strong... He was the sort of guy that any girl would dream of having. It was just unfortunate that his physical differences would send a lot of girls running in the opposite direction.

Or was it unfortunate? This amazing nineteen year old man was _hers_. He was _her_ secret. The only other human female who knew about him was April, and she didn't have any romantic feelings for the boys at all. Raphael was all hers and no-one could take him away, like another girl had taken her previous boyfriend away. The thought of her probably having the most unique relationship in the world, apparently was a major turn on for her, and with a sudden burst of need, she pulled him a little closer to her.

"Kiss me." She said almost silently, parting her lips for him as he leaned towards her, "I want you."

Who the hell was Raphael to refuse such a need-filled request? Her pupils were blown, her breathing was shallow and her face was flushed with lust and arousal. She really did want him, and he wasn't going to deny this _angel_ anything that she wanted.

* * *

Something was different.

As the unusual family sat around the table at breakfast the next morning, everyone could sense a change in the atmosphere, even though Raphael and Amelia were continuing as normally as possible. They'd slept peacefully together, _snuggled_ up in Raphael's bed. They'd spent a good half an hour exploring one another's mouths lazily in a sleepy haze as they'd woken that morning, and it taken considerable effort to appear as though nothing had changed. Raphael had a feeling that his brothers and father all knew that something was different.

"Thanks for letting me observe your training this morning." Amelia said quietly, clearing her throat, "I'm really excited to see what you guys can do."

"Oh, we'll blow you away, baby-doll." Michelangelo laughed, "Then _you_ can blow _us_ away with your dancing."

"No pressure, then." She said nervously, taking a drink of water as she finished her pop tart.

Raphael had specifically warned Donatello against licking the icing off of them and then putting them back in the box, as he'd admitted to all those months ago as they clung to a falling tower for their lives. The red-clad turtle still had dreams about that day, and he still felt the fear that had gripped his heart in those horrifying moments as they'd plummeted to the street below. He was brought back to reality by the melodic laughter of his girlfriend, who was laughing hysterically at something with Donatello and Michelangelo. His girlfriend. It was almost impossible to stop the smile that tried to force its way onto his face at the thought of being able to call Amelia his girlfriend.

"Mikey, you're so funny." Amelia laughed, breaking into even louder and harder laughter as Donatello snorted.

He looked at her bashfully, but when her own laugh caused her to snort, he started chuckling again. Michelangelo then started to make farting sounds with his hand under his armpit, which Raphael assumed was the cause of all this loud laughter.

"S-Stop it!" Amelia squealed, leaning on Donatello for support as she wiped at her eyes, "Mikey!"

"Michelangelo." Master Splinter said sternly, looking at his youngest son with severe eyes.

"Sorry, Sensei." Michelangelo said sadly, returning to his breakfast with a glum expression.

The table fell quiet for a few moments before Leonardo cleared his throat, looking across at the eighteen year old who was cradling her bottle of water in her hands while still recovering from her laughing fit.

"So, do you dance in those clothes?" He asked her, indicating her current state of dress.

Looking down at herself, Amelia felt slightly conscious. She was wearing a pair of tight black shorts, a lilac coloured vest, and matching leg-warmers. It wasn't like she was overly exposed. Glancing back up at Leonardo, she gave him a nod and took in a breath to try and calm her sudden onset of anxiety.

"Yeah. It's better to have your limbs as free as possible." She told him, "Restricted movement means you can't use your body to its full potential."

"Speaking of dancing." Donatello piped up, "We have a surprise for you waiting in the gym."

"Oh, yeah!" Michelangelo said excitedly, "We totally can't wait to show you! Donnie and I were up late putting it together for you."

"Not that you were much help." Donatello muttered, returning to his own pop tart, as Michelangelo stuck his tongue out at him.

"A surprise?" Amelia asked, trying not to sound too concerned, "What kind of surprise?"

"One you'll like." Michelangelo said with a big, "As soon as Leo finishes eating, we can go and show you."

After Leonardo had finished his breakfast, the group headed to the dojo, and Michelangelo led Amelia by the hand as Donatello covered her eyes. Raphael was astounded when he saw what his brothers had put together for their guest. Donatello slowly uncovered the girl's eyes, and he smiled as she broke out into an excited giggle and ran forward to inspect the pole and platform that Donatello had built into the dojo for her. Leonardo didn't look particularly impressed, but Raphael didn't care. He was thrilled that Amelia was so happy. She hugged his brothers giddily and thanked them for putting it together for her, while Raphael tried to quell his excitement at the thought of seeing her swinging around on that very pole later that morning.

* * *

Amelia couldn't believe that her boyfriend, even being the size he was, could move so elegantly. He ducked and dived out of the way of Donatello's attempts to hit him, and two of them flipped around each other as they fought with their weapons. Donatello's bo staff was twirling like crazy, and Raphael's sai looked ferocious as he countered each strike that Donatello made.

Michelangelo and Leonardo had already sparred, and of course, Leonardo had won. They sat by Amelia, watching their brothers fight one another with grace and power that the small girl between them couldn't comprehend. She was mesmerised. Leonardo watched her curiously as she kept her eyes trained on his brothers, her jaw slack.

"Aren't they awesome, dudette?" Michelangelo asked with a smile.

"Oh, it's amazing..." Amelia breathed, leaning forward in her seat to watch closely as their weapons clashed again, "Who usually wins?"

"It depends. Raphael has the power but Donnie's mind works in a way that enables him to calculate exactly what angles he would need to be at to dodge an attack, and he can also pre-plan his attacks to hit his opponents' weakest spots. He's more dangerous than he looks." Leonardo explained, "His level of intuition is astounding."

Unfortunately for Donatello, it wasn't his day. As he dodged an attack from his brother, Raphael dropped to the floor and swung his leg around, knocking the purple-clad turtle off his feet and onto the floor. Raphael then grabbed his sai and pinned Donatello down, holding it to his brother's neck. He smiled down at the younger turtle before standing back up and helping him to his feet. Amelia and Michelangelo applauded, and Raphael couldn't help but feel proud when his girlfriend was beaming at him with a ton of pride of her own.

As Donatello and Raphael bowed to one another, they went to dry their sweating bodies off with towels and take a drink of water, and that was when Amelia's nerves settled in. It was her turn to impress now, and there was no-one there to support her or join in with her. Swallowing thickly, she took a drink of her own water and grabbed her iPod dock, waiting for Master Splinter's instructions.

"Amelia?"

"Yes, Master Splinter?"

"The floor is yours."

Sighing, Amelia set her dock on the floor near the platform and found the song that she wanted, trying to ignore Michelangelo who was cheering for her. She heard Raphael grumbling at him to shut up, and as she found the right song, she stood up and cleared her throat. The pole now meant that the routine she'd wanted to do was basically thrown out of the window. She'd have to come up with something on the spot and she didn't always find it easy.

"Since I wasn't expecting the pole, I'm going to have to improvise." She explained, running a hand through her hair, "So, if it's a little suck-ish, you know why."

"Come on, baby-doll!" Michelangelo called, "You can do it!"

"Mikey!" Leonardo hissed, "You'll make her nervous."

Taking a deep breath, Amelia pressed play on her iPod, and she hurried into position. As _Chandelier_ by Sia began to play loudly in the open space, Amelia's body started to move gracefully on the spot. The moment that she began to move her slender legs, with perfectly pointed toes and toned muscles, the boys were mesmerised. She was doing handstands and then gracefully flipping over into a standing position, she was spinning on the spot and then gliding along the floor... It was amazing.

Then, came the chorus. As the sound of Sia's high-pitched voice blared over the speakers, Amelia grabbed the pole and climbed up it quickly, wrapping her legs around it before letting go, bending backwards and sliding part of the way down. She stopped half way and then began to spin, stretching her legs into the splits before lowering herself further. Raphael was speechless. Her body moved like rippling water, and she made it look so effortless.

She showed unbelievable strength as she raised herself up, her legs back in the splits position as her head was pointed to the floor. To the boys' astonishment, she walked up the pole with her hands, perfectly supporting her whole body weight the entire time. She was swinging herself around in the most wonderful positions the turtles had ever seen. Even Leonardo was amazed by how artistic this looked, and it wasn't as suggestive as he thought it was going to be.

She got off the pole and continued to dance around the room freely, clearly enjoying herself the whole time. Raphael understood why she used dance to deal with her anger, considering she the fact that now, she looked more at peace than he'd ever seen her. This was her sanctuary, like his bedroom was his own sanctuary.

"She'd make a great ninja." Leonardo commented quietly to his brothers, "She does all this without so much as a sound. She's elegant, strong and fast."

"You think Master Splinter would teach her?" Donatello asked, barely able to take his eyes off of the girl dancing in front of them.

"If anyone's gonna teach her anything, it'll be me." Raphael said gruffly, "She's my responsibility."

As the song ended, everyone gawked at Amelia as she slid down, still holding the pole with her left hand, and ended up on the floor in the splits position, with her right arm gracefully raised in the air. She got up and paused the iPod so it wouldn't play the next song, and she was met with rather stunned looks from the guys. She felt her heart sink. They hadn't liked it.

"Baby-doll!" Michelangelo's voice erupted from the silence, "That was _amazing_!"

As Amelia gathered up her speakers while trying to stop herself from smiling like an idiot, she heard other voices now joining the orange banded turtle's. He seemed to have snapped the brothers out of their trance like state, and even Master Splinter gave the girl an approving nod, which made a wave of relief wash over her. She heard them all talking over each other as they offered her praise, and the four boys stood around her with big grins on their faces.

"Where did you learn to do that?!"

"That was awesome!"

"You're so graceful!"

Then, there was Raphael, who just had this rather dopey smile on his face. Amelia was shocked. She'd actually rendered this big, gruff turtle absolutely speechless, and he was looking at her in a way that he'd never looked at her before.

A sad thought was resonating in Raphael's head, however, even though he was smiling at her. She was so unassuming, yet she was incredibly talented and she had all of the elegance that he and his brothers only wished that they had. She really was like an angel, and her body... Oh, fuck, her body... It moved in ways that he didn't think possible, and it had made him almost painfully turned on. But, he felt very selfish, because as much as he wanted her, Amelia could make a life for herself and have a really great career in dancing if she wanted to. He didn't want to make her have to choose between him and the possibility of an amazing life on the surface.

"I must say, Amelia, you have exceeded our expectations greatly." Master Splinter told her as he stepped towards her, "You clearly have many wonderful talents, and this is only the first of them that we have seen."

"Thank you, Master Splinter." Amelia said sweetly, "So... Are you guys happy?"

"Happy?" Michelangelo asked, stunned, "Dudette, I'm gonna be excited all week after that."

"Mikey!" Donatello scolded him, blushing fiercely as he gave his little brother a nudge.

"I'm gonna go and change." Amelia said quietly, looking up at the boys with smiles, "I'm getting cold."

Raphael watched her walk away, and without another word to his brothers or his father, he followed her out of the dojo door, trying to quell the sudden onset of heaviness in his heart.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	7. War Dance

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC. I don't own the lyrics used in this chapter either.

 **A/N:** I'd just like to thank everyone again for sticking with this story so far, and for continuing to support me with it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I actually loved writing it.

 **The Silvernote:** It seems like you're my only reviewer right now! The hangover disappeared within a few hours, thankfully, but it didn't stop me writing more of this fic. O hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the continued support so far!

Happy reading!

xxxxxxxxxxx

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Seven: War Dance }**

Raphael couldn't believe his eyes as he walked into the bedroom after his shower.

Not only had Amelia made up their beds (even though she hadn't really used hers), but she was walking around in her shorts and bra. She was humming softly to herself, and clearly hadn't heard him come in to the room. He closed the door gently, not wanting any of his brothers to find her in this state of undress. She shivered in the cold air and Raphael grimaced at the sight of her trembling body. He took a step closer to her as she turned around and visibly startled at the sight of him, which almost caused him to back off, but he held firm.

"God, Raph... I'm sorry." She said, taking a deep breath, "I didn't see you there."

Raphael wanted to touch her so much... She was standing there in front of him, a blush covering her cheeks and chest, her breasts almost on display for him. Her toned belly looked beautiful as the dim light of his room bathed her muscles in a soft glow. He saw her reach to grab the pale yellow t-shirt that sat on the pile of clothes that she'd retrieved from her bag, but he couldn't bear to see her cover herself up. Not yet.

"Wait." He said gruffly, trying to brace himself as he stepped closer to her, "I want to... Uh... I want to... Touch you."

Amelia's worried expression changed to a more relaxed one, even if she was looking a little bashful, and she slowly let the t-shirt fall from the clutches of her dainty fingers to the heavy cotton cover of Raphael's duvet. She ducked her head and bit her lip as Raphael reached forward and placed his hands on her hips, stepping so close that their chests were almost touching. She felt a large finger under her chin, and felt her head being tilted upward as Raphael coaxed her closer. Dipping his head, he kissed her full lips gently, intensifying the kiss almost immediately. Amelia let out a long sigh with a very quiet moan which escaped her as the air left her lungs, and as her brow furrowed into a deep frown, a pleasurable jolt ran through her from within her chest. Her legs almost gave way with the sensation, and Raphael, thankfully, held onto her hips to keep her upright.

Her hands lazily slid up his arms and then her wrists crossed behind his neck as she leaned into him, sighing as his hands continued to explore her almost bare upper half. She heard a deep sound emerge from his throat as he slid his hands up her waist, almost like a whirring purr. It was the only way that she could think to describe it. As it came from him, though, Raphael's eyes snapped open, and he backed away from her, almost shoving her off of him.

"Raph...?" She asked, trying to stop the onset of tears that were threatening to fill her eyes, "What is it?"

"I shouldn't have..." He began, looking away from her, "I don't know if I'll be able to..."

"Is it me?" She asked him worriedly, "Baby, please talk to me..."

He was way too aroused to have this conversation right now. So, he did what he knew best, which was to leave the room and head straight for the dojo to kick the hell out his old punchbag. Amelia couldn't even get her shirt on before the door to the dojo was slamming shut. She finished putting on the t-shirt, and as her hands went to her face, she let out a long sigh and sat on his bed, trying to control her upset at the sudden churning of the previously lovely atmosphere. She startled again as she heard an incredibly loud roar from the direction of the dojo, and she knew that Raphael was probably trying to work out his anger. What had she done to make him so mad?

Footsteps caught her attention and she was met with a concerned Michelangelo, who came into the bedroom with a frown on his face. He'd heard the commotion and he'd seen Raphael leaving the room, so wanted to make sure that Amelia was alright.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, stepping closer as he saw the tears welling up in her eyes, "Oh no... Dudette..."

He sounded just as heartbroken as she felt. He moved straight to her and crouched in front of her, taking her hand in his own as the tears began to fall down her face. He felt upset for her, because he realised that she'd just experienced Raphael's temper for the first time, and it was quite obvious that she really cared for him, so to have his anger directed at her must've been horrible.

"What happened?" He asked her, getting up to sit to her left, putting a comforting arm around her, "We knew something was up this morning..."

"Mikey, I love your brother." Amelia said softly, a sob escaping her lips, "I love him so much."

"Did you guys get together?" Michelangelo asked, shocked.

"Yeah... But he just got freaked out and bailed..." Amelia breathed, becoming more upset, "I don't know what to do."

"The best thing to do with Raph is to just let him work it out on his own." Michelangelo said quietly, "Don't take it personally, huh? Don't forget what we are. Finding a girlfriend is like an impossible dream for us, so it'll be hard for him to adjust, you know?"

"I understand, believe me." She whispered, burying her face in her hands, "I just..."

"You want it to be okay." Michelangelo finished for her, sighing sadly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder, "Oh, baby-doll..."

"What happened?"

Donatello's soft voice drifted into Raphael's room as he cautiously shuffled in the doorway, looking at Amelia worriedly. Michelangelo beckoned him in as one of Amelia's hands moved from around his neck to reach for the other brother, her face still hidden from view by her honey-blonde hair. Donatello eased his way forward, kneeling on the floor and taking her hand in his own carefully.

"They just got together and Raph's already bailed." Michelangelo said quietly, stroking Amelia's back gently, "He wasn't mean to her. He just freaked out."

Donatello nodded and adjusted his glasses with his free hand, continuing to stroke Amelia's daintier one with his large thumb. The purple-clad turtle shared a sad look with Michelangelo, who looked as distressed as Amelia sounded. They'd never seen Amelia this upset, and she sounded utterly heartbroken.

"He'll come round." Donatello said softly, "He'd be a fool to let a girl like you go."

He shared a second, more anxious look with Michelangelo, who moved his hand to brush it over Amelia's thick, loosely-curled locks. Not knowing what else to do, Donatello offered to make Amelia some tea, and as she accepted, he headed out of Raphael's room and down to the kitchen, where he was met by a concerned Leonardo.

"What's going on?" The blue-clad turtle asked, watching Donatello move around the kitchen to make tea for Amelia.

"Raph and Amelia." Donatello asked, "It happened. I'm assuming at some time during the past few hours they've decided to become a couple, and Raphael's just freaked out about it and bailed to the dojo. Obviously, Amelia's a little upset about it, since she's kind of in love with him."

"She's in love with him?" Leonardo asked, shocked.

"Yeah. She just told Mikey." Donatello replied, getting a cup from one of the cupboards and filling the kettle, "He'd be incredibly stupid to let a girl like her go. The chances of us finding love at all are minimal, and he's got a sweet girl, right there in that room, who'd probably do anything for him."

"I'll go and talk to him." Leonardo said quietly, "See if I can get some answers."

Donatello nodded and watched his older brother walk to the dojo, who cautiously stepped inside to find Raphael pounding the shit out of the punchbag that in one of the far corners of the room. He walked over to his younger brother, who seemed to slow down in his rage, and he watched, stunned as Raphael put a hand to his head, half leaning against the punchbag, before he ran a hand backwards across his face as though wiping away tears.

No... Raphael wasn't crying... Was he? Leonardo knew that Raphael had heard him approaching, because he heard the younger turtle clear his throat as though trying to clear a lump from it. Slowly, the red-clad turtle turned around to look at his older brother, whose lips were formed into a tight line. Leonardo had only seen Raphael cry once and that was after almost falling to their deaths from the top of a tall building.

"You okay?" Leonardo asked him quietly, earning a solemn nod in response, "Amelia's upset."

"I know." Raphael said gruffly, breathing heavily, "I suppose you all know about us now."

"Yeah." Leonardo nodded, "I know it's a lot to take in. New experiences, new feelings, new fears. But, you can't run every time something spooks you, you know? Amelia deserves better than that. It's not easy for her either."

"You have no idea how I feel right now." Raphael snapped, walking past him and purposely knocking into his brother's shoulder.

"So, tell me." Leonardo said, turning around to face his brother's retreating form.

"I can't." Raphael replied, "It's personal. Between me and Amelia. I just got a little freaked out and I needed to get out of that room. That was all."

"She's really upset." Leonardo told him quietly, "Mikey and Donnie are taking care of her but I think you ought to..."

Raphael was feeling more and more closed in with every passing minute. He needed to get out of the lair, just to have some time to think about what was going through his head, without everyone else giving him their fucking opinion and crowding him.

"Just... Just back off!" He yelled, "Fuck this, man! I don't need this shit!"

Leonardo sighed and rubbed at his brow with frustration as Raphael bolted out of the dojo. He followed him into the main part of the lair, but all he could see was his brother's retreating form as he disappeared into the sewer tunnels, out of sight. Donatello appeared from Raphael's room to see what was going on, but he was met with the disappointed expression of Leonardo instead. Bowing his head, Donatello shook it and turned back to the bedroom, disappearing from Leonardo's sight.

* * *

"She really needs to eat something." Donatello muttered later that afternoon, looking worriedly into the doorway of the dojo as Amelia danced around the large open space.

"She's working out her issues." Leonardo replied, turning away from the partially open door, "Just give her time."

"It's been four hours." Donatello answered, growing slightly agitated, "Where the hell is Raph?"

"Poor baby-doll." Michelangelo breathed, looking sadly at the girl as she danced around the dojo, "She must be worried sick. She doesn't even look like she's enjoying herself."

"Better her keeping herself occupied than sitting and stewing until he comes back." Leonardo said, looking back at her, "She's probably mad at him too. He didn't exactly give her any explanation as to what made him freak out like that."

"Guys?"

At the sound of their brother's voice, the three turtles turned and headed over to the entrance of the lair where Raphael was walking in, looking much calmer than earlier. He'd taken some time to go over all the worries in his head, and he decided that it would be best to talk to Amelia first, get as much as possible off his chest, and take things from there. He was scared and worried about a lot of things, and he knew that the way he reacted earlier to something as simple as arousal was far from okay.

"Where's Amelia?" He asked, looking towards the dojo as he heard music playing.

"Guess." Leonardo replied, folding his arms over his chest, "I think she's mad at you."

"Yeah... I don't blame her." Raphael muttered, "I'll go talk to her."

As he entered the dojo, Raphael heard a new song starting up on Amelia's iPod. She was dancing around the floor, her expression one of concentration. His breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a cropped fitness top and skin-tight shorts, showing all of the body that he'd had his hands on earlier. She did a spin and met eyes with him briefly, stopping in her tracks. An expression that Raphael could only describe as rage made its way onto her face. She _was_ mad at him.

" _And another one bites the dust  
Oh, why can I not conquer love?  
And I might have thought that we were one  
Wanted to fight this war without weapons  
And I wanted it, I wanted it bad  
But there were so many red flags  
Now another one bites the dust  
Yeah, let's be clear, I'll trust no one."_

He stepped closer to her as she began to dance again, determined to get her attention. But as the vocals kicked in, he could tell he was going to have a battle on his hands. He went to grab her by the arm, but she ducked under him and spun out of the way, backing away from him. He began to approach her slowly, but she ran past him and swung around the pole, dodging him as he went to grab her again. It was on. She was clearly going to try to avoid him, no matter what he did. They circled each other for a moment, and he could see it in her eyes that she wasn't backing down. While this seemed like a childish thing to do, Raphael thought that there must be a reason for her to keep avoiding his efforts this way.

 _"You did not break me_  
 _I'm still fighting for peace..."_

The two stilled for a moment and Raphael realised she was sparring with him in her own weird way. Until he was able to catch her, there'd be no talking about what had happened. He wasn't stupid. She was going to make him prove that he wanted her. Now, her behaviour didn't seem so childish. He could understand why she was reacting this way. Every man in her life had let her down, and now, he'd hurt her too, which made him feel awful.

 _"Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_  
 _But your blade, it might be too sharp_  
 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_  
 _Yeah, I may snap and I move fast_  
 _But you won't see me fall apart_  
 _'Cause I've got an elastic heart."_

He ran at her again, but she ran towards him and slid between his legs, gracefully rolling back onto her feet, bending backwards and using her hands to push herself up and over towards the door, out of his way. At the doorway, Donatello and Leonardo watched in amazement as their brother and Amelia literally danced around each other. She was able to predict every single movement and avoid him without any difficulty, which was making Raphael angrier by the second. She was performing dance moves as she avoided his grasp, like she was taunting him, and that only added to his anger. But with his anger, came determination. She was playing him like a fiddle.

 _"I've got an elastic heart_  
 _Yeah, I've got an elastic heart..."_

Raphael went low to try and kick her feet out from under her but she placed her hands on his shoulders and flipped over him, turning to face him again and backing away with a twirl. Her instincts and timing were more than just a little impressive. Michelangelo and Splinter joined the others at the door, and both stared in amazement as Raphael fought to control the girl who was evading him to the best of her ability. They stopped for a brief moment to get some energy back, before they continued their unusual sparring match.

 _"And I will stay up through the night_  
 _And let's be clear, won't close my eyes_  
 _And I know that I can survive_  
 _I'll walk through fire to save my life_  
 _And I want it, I want my life so bad_  
 _I'm doing everything I can_  
 _Then another one bites the dust_  
 _It's hard to lose a chosen one..."_

Again, the pole became a way of avoiding Raphael's attempts to grab her, and she climbed her way up it, swinging herself around quickly enough to get away from his hands as he almost got her by the leg. She landed on the floor below and rolled so she was on her feet again. They circled one another once more, and as they did, Raphael came to the realisation that he'd never seen this side of Amelia before. Her blonde hair was brushed out of her face with a dainty hand, and as he snarled at her, she snarled back, charging at him with ferocity. Holy hell... She _was_ pissed at him.

 _"You did not break me_  
 _I'm still fighting for peace..."_

She slid between his legs again, as if he hadn't seen it coming, and spun around on the floor to get back onto her feet. Her speed sent her almost staggering backwards quickly, and as she reached a wall, she looked up at her boyfriend who was moving towards her again. She was determined that he wasn't going to get a word out of her until he caught her, and she wasn't going to make that task easy for him.

 _"Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_  
 _But your blade, it might be too sharp_  
 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_  
 _Yeah, I may snap and I move fast_  
 _But you won't see me fall apart_  
 _'Cause I've got an elastic heart..."_

She looked to the pole and ran back for it with incredible speed, grabbing it and throwing herself around it, right at Raphael. He caught her, finally, but her momentum caused him to spin, giving her the opportunity to use his forearms as leverage as she sucked in a breath, loosening his hold on her. She pushed herself up and out of his arms, sliding out of his way as he came to a stop again. Splinter was watching with keen interest as the two fought for control over the situation, and it was clear to him that Amelia was testing Raphael to see how far he was willing to go for her. She would show great promise as a ninja warrior, if she was willing to learn, of course. The two kept circling each other, ducking and diving as she continually escaped the large turtle's grasp. The angrier Raphael became, the easier it was for her to evade him.

 _"Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_  
 _But your blade, it might be too sharp_  
 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_  
 _Yeah, I may snap and I move fast_  
 _But you won't see me fall apart_  
 _'Cause I've got an elastic heart_  
 _Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_  
 _But your blade, it might be too sharp_  
 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_  
 _Yeah, I may snap and I move fast_  
 _But you won't see me fall apart_  
 _'Cause I've got an elastic heart..._  
 _I've got an elastic heart."_

Amelia could feel herself growing tired. Raphael was tired too, but he was relentless, barely giving her a moment to rest. He stepped closer, cautiously reaching out for her as she ducked under his arm again. She couldn't help it. She was so _angry_ that rather than trust her with what was bothering him, he decided to run out on her instead. Rather than turn to her with whatever had scared him, he fled like a frightened child. But, his persistence with her, his patience as she'd taunted him for all this time, like she wasn't taking him seriously, and his willingness to endure this _game_ in front of his family proved to her that he wanted her enough to talk to her and work it out. She slowed to a stop, and as he approached her again, she allowed him to grab her, and she brought her hands up to cup his head as she tried to catch her breath.

He looked at her for a moment, confused as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. His hands moved to her waist and he pulled her in, feeling her arms move around his neck again as they had earlier while a wave of relief washed over him. It was such an intimate moment that Splinter silently ushered his sons away from the door, leaving the couple to it. They broke their kiss after a few moments and leaned their heads together, taking a few moments to rest after their exhausting war dance.

Briefly backing away, Amelia went to turn off her iPod, and Raphael followed her tiredly, sitting on the small platform that her pole was situated on. She joined him after she'd turned off the iPod speakers, and she caught her breath, not even sparing him another look.

"I'm sorry I freaked out." Raphael muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "It was stupid, and there was no reason for me to react the way I did."

"You didn't trust me enough to tell me what was wrong." Amelia said, her voice dark and low, "You didn't _trust_ me."

"I'm sorry." Raphael apologised again, looking at her with sad eyes, "You didn't deserve to be made to feel that way. And, I'm gonna try harder. It's just... I'm not good with my feelings."

"I know." Amelia whispered, "But, you need to be honest and open with me, or this is never going to work."

"I know." Raphael nodded, reaching over to hold her hand, "Can we go and talk about it in our room?"

Amelia looked up at him properly and saw the look in his eyes. He was scared that he'd fucked it up. She could tell that he was scared just by the sound of his quaking breath. Biting her lip, she ran her hand through her hair and stood up, gathering her iPod and dock in her hands before holding a free hand out to him. He'd learned his lesson, and the relief on his face as she held her hand out to him told her that he genuinely was sorry for what he'd done earlier.

With a grateful smile, Raphael took it, and the two of them headed out of the dojo to go to his room.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	8. Little Sis

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! I'm working on chapter thirteen of this story at the moment. As I work from home, I'm having to put some extra hours into my business because it isn't making as much money as I'd like, so updates may slow down if I can't quite keep up with publishing and writing one chapter a day. I won't stop writing, but it may take a couple of days to finish chapters during the week. Thanks for the continued support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **DaLadyofSouls:** Thank you so much for your consistent support! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far, and there's much more content to come!

 **The Silvernote:** I'm going to read your story as soon as I can and make sure I review it, as you've done so faithfully with mine. I really hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Happy reading!

xxxxxxxxxx

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Eight: Little Sis }**

"You mean to tell me that all of this has been caused because you were _aroused_?" Amelia asked Raphael, her tone gentle as a smile came to her lips.

"I know. Dumb, ain't it." Raphael muttered, his accent still as thick as ever as he ran a hand over his face.

"No... No." Amelia whispered, leaning closer to him and resting her head on his strong shoulder, "It's actually kinda sweet. There's nothing dumb about reacting to new feelings and emotions, baby. It's just part of life."

"You're not mad any more?" He asked her, wrapping those big arms of his around her tiny frame.

"No. I'm not." Amelia replied, pressing a kiss to his rough cheek, "I'm happy that you feel you can talk to me about this kind of stuff. And, I want you to know that we'll take this at whatever pace makes you comfortable. If we're moving too fast and you feel that it's too much, tell me. I'd tell you the same thing if it was too much for me, you know?"

Raphael nodded, watching his girlfriend get up as she started to change into her yoga pants and long sleeved top. It really was cold down in the sewers, so Amelia was glad she'd packed some warmer clothes. Out of respect for her privacy, Raphael turned away as she changed her outfit, and after a few moments of hearing the shuffling and folding of clothing, he felt soft cotton gently brushing against his legs.

Amelia carefully sat herself on his lap, putting her right arm around his neck. Her left hand came up to cradle the side of his head, and she pulled it towards her so that his cheek was pressed against her breasts. She leaned down and planted the softest kiss to his bandanna covered head, and she cradled him to her, rubbing his shoulder gently. His arms came up to hold her, and he lifted his head from her chest to kiss her lips, enjoying the feeling of her comforting him this way.

"By the way..." He began, looking up at her as they broke apart, "How'd you outsmart me in the dojo like that?"

"Call it instinct and the ability to read body language." Amelia smiled, kissing him again gently, "Plus, I was determined to make you work and fight for me. It was a lesson that I felt you needed to learn."

"Believe me, it's been learned." Raphael chuckled, reaching up to brush some of her hair out of her face, "You know, you could be a pretty good ninja with strength and abilities like that."

"You think so?" She asked him with an arched eyebrow, savouring the feeling of his hand brushing against her long locks.

"Sure." He said quietly, "I mean, if you wanted to learn, I'd ask Master Splinter to let me teach you."

"So... You'd be my sensei?" She asked him, her gentle grin turning into a cheeky one as she played with the back of his bandanna.

"I-I guess so." Raphael replied, nodding at her as she leaned closer to him.

She kissed him again as a thousand dirty thoughts entered her head. While she wasn't into bondage or anything like that, she liked the thought of Raphael dominating her. He just had a very commanding tone to his voice, and it sometimes made Amelia's insides quiver like jelly. Aside from the filthy images in her head, she liked the thought of him teaching her something new, something that would enable her to defend herself. It was an activity that they could both take part in and enjoy together, which was exciting to her. He could tell as they broke apart that she'd become incredibly aroused all of sudden, because her scent had gone from being gorgeous to just plain divine in an instant.

"You like the thought of me being your sensei?" He asked her, taking in the flush of red that had appeared on her cheeks.

"Let's have this conversation another time." She whispered bashfully, kissing his lips tenderly once more, "I think we'd better let your family know that we're okay."

"Sure." Raphael replied, allowing her to get to her feet before standing from the bed, "Come on."

Hand in hand, they left Raphael's bedroom and looked around to see where the others were. Michelangelo was having a nap on the couch with the television playing to itself. Leonardo and Master Splinter were probably in the dojo, and Raphael had no doubt that Donatello would be in his lab.

"Let's find Splinter first." Raphael whispered, "Don't wake Mikey."

Amelia nodded and the two steadily made their way towards the dojo, still hand in hand. As they reached the door, Raphael carefully opened it. Inside, Master Splinter was meditating, but it was clear from the way his ears moved that he'd heard Raphael open the door. He was scarily intuitive sometimes. Raphael walked towards Splinter slowly and knelt down in front of him, beckoning Amelia to join him. They waited patiently for him to address them, rather than disturb him during his meditation.

"My son." Splinter said quietly, opening his eyes, "Amelia. I trust that your earlier conflict has been resolved."

"Yes, Sensei." Raphael spoke softly, taking Amelia's hand, "You all saw what happened earlier, so... I guess you know about our... Um..."

"Our relationship." Amelia finished for him, squeezing Raphael's hand and giving him a reassuring smile.

"I am very happy for both of you." Splinter said, a smile gracing his own face as he gazed at the two teenagers, "All I ask is that you take care of each other, and treat one another with respect in all aspects of your relationship."

"Of course, Sensei." Raphael replied with a bow of his head.

"As your father, I give you my blessing." Splinter said, placing his hand on his son's shoulder before doing the same to Amelia, "Welcome to the family, my child."

"Thank you, Master Splinter." Amelia whispered, squeezing Raphael's hand tightly with excitement and relief.

"Thank you, Sensei." Raphael said quietly, giving his father a genuine smile before getting to his feet, helping Amelia to hers, "We'll call you when it's time for dinner."

"Thank you, my son."

The couple slowly headed to leave the dojo, both with huge smiles on their faces as they relished in the feeling of the weight lifting from their shoulders. No more secrecy. It felt fantastic. Raphael carefully closed the door behind them, and crossed the lair quietly with Amelia to go and find Donatello, who was probably busy working. The usual clicking of a keyboard brought a smirk to Raphael's face as Donatello quickly typed away at his computer. He was mumbling to himself about calibrations and percentages. All kinds of things that Raphael and Amelia didn't fully understand. Raphael cleared his throat and knocked on the door, startling the purple-clad turtle who almost fell off his chair.

"Whoa, easy..." Raphael laughed, "What are you doing, Donnie?"

"I'm trying to see if there's any plausible way of improving our heating system." Donatello answered, looking at them both with a defeated expression, "Otherwise it's going to be a very unpleasant winter."

"Would you like some coffee?" Amelia offered sweetly, "You look like you need it."

"Thanks." Donatello nodded with a smile, "That'd be great."

"Do you want some, Raph?" She asked, looking up at her boyfriend.

"No, thanks." The larger turtle answered quietly, turning back to his younger brother as Amelia left the lab, "So..."

"So." Donatello countered, grinning at his brother, "You guys work it out?"

"Yeah." Raphael replied gruffly, folding his arms, "Splinter gave us his blessing."

"Good." Donatello said chirpily, "You're a lucky guy, Raph. Take care of her."

Raphael and Donatello's eyes met briefly, but Raphael knew that Donatello meant business by the glint in his eyes. Donatello wasn't prepared to let Raphael mess this up, and he knew that if he did fuck anything up, Donatello would have his ass. It wasn't often that Donatello intimidated Raphael, but when it came to Amelia, Raphael knew that his brothers had become really protective over her.

"Of course I'll take care of her." Raphael promised, "I want you guys to watch out for her too, you know? She's part of the family now."

"You don't even have to ask that of us. You know that." Donatello answered him with a grin, "By the way, did you guys get together last night or this morning?"

"Last night." Raphael said, clearing his throat.

"Right..." Donatello said quietly, looking up at his older brother, "So, what's it like to kiss a girl?"

Before Raphael could think of an answer, Amelia came back with two cups of coffee. One for herself and one for Donatello. Her hair was now tied up into a messy bun and her cheeks were flushed as though she'd been running around. Donatello watched her as she padded gracefully along the cold floor in sock-clad feet, and as she put the coffee down on the desk for him, she leaned forward and kissed him on his temple, which was one of the only free spaces on his head due to the amount of gear he wore.

"Thanks, sis." He replied with a smile, noticing the way that Amelia was taken aback by the nickname.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." She told him quietly, turning back to Raphael with a warm grin, "I'm gonna go and wake Mikey. I'm sure he'll want to know that things are okay with us."

"I'll be through in a minute." Raphael promised her, leaning down and giving her a kiss on her forehead before she left the room again.

Donatello wrapped his hands around the mug and looked back at his brother, who was still watching Amelia walking away from the lab. He cleared his throat, hoping that Raphael would hear him and turn around to face him. It took several attempts, but eventually, Raphael turned around and gave Donatello a harsh stare.

"I mean it, brother." The younger turtle said with a very serious expression, "You take care of her."

Without another word, Raphael turned around and headed out of Donatello's lab, leaving the purple-clad ninja to get back to his work. It wasn't long before the voice of Michelangelo hit his ears, and Raphael walked slowly over to his brother and girlfriend, who were sitting on the couch together. He remembered the previous year when their furniture had been made up of a million and one pizza boxes that had been taped together. It was nice to have an actual couch, which had been kindly donated by April when she bought a new one. Even if the chairs were still made of pizza boxes, it was nice to have a soft couch to lounge around on.

"So, you and Raph are okay?" Michelangelo was asking, his attention solely on Amelia as she sipped her coffee.

"We're fine, honey." The blonde told him with a smile, "And, thank you for taking care of me earlier. I felt much better when you guys came to sit with me."

"You're my dudette." Michelangelo said with a smile as he leaned forward and hugged her tightly, "You're like my little sister now. I'll always be there for you."

Amelia hugged the youngest turtle back with one arm, and she turned to see Raphael approaching them with a slight grin on his face. He looked so handsome in the low light of the lair with his strong muscles, large arms, toothpick in his scarred mouth, and those eyes that made her feel weak at the knees. She was so lucky to have such a wonderful man in her life, and it was hard for her to believe still that they were actually together.

"Raph!"

Raphael looked around to see Leonardo approaching them with a small smile on his face. Amelia got up from the couch and headed to her boyfriend's side, putting an arm across the back of his shell and rubbing it softly.

"Are you guys okay now?" Leonardo asked, looking at them with warm eyes.

"We're fine." Raphael said quietly, "Sensei's given us his blessing."

Leonardo nodded as he absorbed this new information, and after a moment of brief silence, he did something that surprised everyone. He stepped forward and wrapped up Amelia in a warm hug. Thankfully, her cup of coffee was quickly saved by Raphael who took it from her hands so that she could hug his brother in return. They held onto each other tightly, which was quite heartwarming to see considering Leonardo's cold attitude when he first met her.

"Welcome to the family, little sis." Leonardo whispered into her ear, "Take care of my brother."

"Always." Amelia replied just as quietly, moving her head so that she could press a kiss to his cheek, "Thank you, Leo."

When they separated, Michelangelo and Raphael looked rather stunned, as they tried to comprehend what they'd just witnessed. Without another word, Leonardo headed back in the direction that he'd come from, and after a few moments of silence, Michelangelo, of course, was the first to break it by leaning close to the couple with a big grin on his face.

"I think he's okay with it."

* * *

Around the dinner table that night, Michelangelo had made a gorgeous selection of pizzas from scratch, which the family were happily digging into. They were laughing about all kinds of things, and Amelia was being treated to a multitude of stories from the turtles' childhoods. It was amazing for her to witness such a close-knit family. Her own family consisted of a pushy, condescending mother, an alcohol-dependent father, and violent, drug-addicted brothers, so, Raphael's family, despite their odd, childish arguments, were like a breath of fresh air to her.

Her stomach clenched uncomfortably when she realised that she would be better off with Raphael and his family than her own. Was it really normal to think that way? Her own damn family were so horrendous to be around that maybe it was a normal reaction to have when encountering such a decent, loving family for the first time. It made her feel like a terrible person for feeling that way about her own flesh and blood, but she just couldn't help it. Swallowing down the lump in her throat along with her pizza, she noticed that Leonardo was looking at her worriedly from his place opposite her. She gave him a forced smile, and she continued to eat her food so as not to worry him any more. Her regular cell phone bleeped at the side of her and she looked at it briefly, seeing that there was a text message from Ethan. Again, her insides clenched uncomfortably, like something was wrong.

"Who is it?" Raphael asked her, looking at the cell phone as she picked it up.

"Just the guy I work with." Amelia responded with a sigh, "He asked me out on yesterday but I told him no. He creeps me out."

"What's he saying?" Raphael asked her, swallowing a mouthful of pizza.

"Uh..." Amelia opened the message, only to groan with frustration when she saw it was another attempt at asking her out, "Ugh... He's asking me if I want to go out for coffee sometime. I've told him that I'm not interested once, and I'm gonna have to tell him again."

Putting her food down, she went to reply, but Raphael took the phone off of her and put it down next to her, earning a rather annoyed look from the eighteen year old.

"Eat first. He can wait until you've finished your dinner." The turtle said sternly, "You haven't eaten for about nine hours. And you've done way too much exercise today when you've eaten so little, so, eat first... Please?"

Amelia nodded and went back to her food, reaching over and taking a hold of Raphael's large hand, giving it a brief, comforting squeeze before letting him go. They shared a small smile, and slowly, everyone went back to their food. Michelangelo started telling more stories from the turtles' childhoods and Amelia tried to enjoy the conversation, while she worried about how she was going to reply to Ethan.

After dinner, Amelia helped Donatello wash the dishes since Michelangelo had cooked the dinner, and then as Master Splinter went to bed early, the turtles settled down for a night in front of the TV. Donatello had downloaded some new movies for Michelangelo, and the group decided to start watching the whole _Star Wars_ saga. However, five minutes into _The Phantom Menace_ , Amelia's cell phone bleeped again with another message from Ethan, even though she'd replied to him to tell him no as kindly as possible.

"Is that him again?" Raphael asked as Amelia turned the volume of her phone down to vibrate.

"Yeah." She whispered, blinking in shock as another, needier text came through to her phone.

Leonardo cast a look at Raphael who appeared to be getting quite fed up already. He tried his best to signal to his brother to keep calm without Amelia noticing him do it. The last thing that she needed was for him to start losing his temper over it. Amelia on the other hand, was starting to become more, and more concerned. This wasn't normal behaviour, not even for someone who'd been rejected.

"He's kinda persistent, ain't he?" Raphael said quietly, folding his arms.

He watched Amelia quickly type a reply and then put the phone down on the arm of the couch. She leaned into the red-clad turtle's side and curled up to him, sighing with relief as he put his arms around her. She felt so safe in his arms, and just the feeling of him holding her was enough to calm her down. Donatello and Michelangelo continued to watch the television screen in complete awe at the special effects, while Leonardo watched Raphael as he carefully stroked the girl's arm with his thumb. It was strange to see his brother behaving this way.

Then, just as the room went quiet, the phone began to vibrate again. Raphael's grip on Amelia's arm tightened, but he quickly loosened it when he realised what he was doing. He was _not_ going to lose his temper. Amelia was more than capable of dealing with this fuckwit all by herself. She didn't need him to swoop in and rescue her. She sighed and leaned into him, tightly holding onto him as she buried her face partially in his plastron. She ignored the message.

After about thirty seconds, her phone started to actually vibrate as though it was ringing. Leaning over, she picked the phone up and saw that it was Ethan calling her. Worriedly, she answered the phone and brought it to her ear, standing up to walk away from the couch so that the others could continue to watch their movie in peace.

"Ethan?" She asked softly, "Why are you calling me?"

" _You weren't answering my messages."_ Ethan's voice sent unpleasant chills up Amelia's back, _"I'm outside your building right now. I was gonna stop for a coffee."_

Amelia put a hand to her head and sighed, trying not to flip her lid and yell at the guy. He was scaring the hell out of her right now, and she'd already rejected him twice. It was bad enough turning up at her place uninvited, but to harass her this way as well? It was just plain creepy, not to mention rude and ignorant.

"Ethan, I'm staying with friends this weekend." She said, taking a moment to reign in her temper as she felt herself losing it, "Y-you can't just turn up at my apartment and expect me to go out with you. I'm not available."

" _So, maybe some other time?"_ Ethan suggested, _"Come on, Mia. I really like you."_

"Well, I don't feel the same way." Amelia said softly, "Besides which, I have a boyfriend now. So, I'm completely unavailable."

" _Since when?"_ Ethan asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"Since last night." Amelia answered, "I'm staying with him and his family, so... I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't ask me out again."

" _Right..."_ Ethan said quietly, _"I-I'm sorry."_

Then, he hung up on her, leaving her feeling both worried and stunned. A hand on her shoulder caused her to startle, but a gentle voice in her ear soothed her almost immediately as a pair of large arms wrapped around her waist.

"You did the right thing." Raphael said quietly into her ear, "He was getting creepy."

"I've hurt him." Amelia replied, ducking her head as she rubbed the back of her neck, "I just..."

"It isn't your fault. You've told him, what? Three times now?" Raphael asked her, "You can't tread on eggshells with him because you're scared of hurting him."

She leaned back against his plastron, closing her eyes as he pressed his head to hers. She locked the phone with a heavy sigh before resting her arms over her boyfriend's. He could practically feel her exhaustion as she melted into his embrace, and he kept her upright as her knees started to give way. She really was _melting_ into him. He couldn't help but smile at the realisation.

"You wanna call it a night?" He asked her gently, feeling her nod tiredly against him.

He reached down and scooped her up into his arms gently, holding her there despite her tired protests. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face there, her phone still clutched in her hand. Keeping her cradled to him, he told his brothers that Amelia needed some rest, and she sleepily waved to them as he carried her up the stairs to their room.

"You didn't need to carry me." She said quietly as he set her on the bed, "I need to change my clothes."

Raphael walked away from her briefly to close and lock his door, sighing quietly. He didn't want another man interfering with his girlfriend, or stalking her, which is pretty much what this Ethan guy had been doing all evening. But, amazingly, he'd managed to keep his temper, because he knew that raging wouldn't help his girl, who was clearly worried about it all. He headed back over to her and pulled out her bag from under his bed, placing it next to her so that she could choose her clothes. She pulled out another white v-neck shirt and a pair of dark pink shorts to wear, thanking him quietly. He put the bag back under the bed for her as she got changed and took her spare clothes, gently laying them on the mattress that sat on the floor.

He then turned back to his girlfriend, gently reaching forward and taking her by the hips. Amelia looked up at Raphael tiredly, running her hands up to his chest as he dipped his head and pressed it to hers. They stood quietly for a moment, just content to be resting against one another. If anyone had told Amelia that she'd be in the sewers, hooking up with teenage, mutant, ninja turtle, she'd have laughed in their face. But, she realised as he searched for her lips that she didn't want to be anywhere else. She didn't even want to return to the surface the next night, but unfortunately, she had a job, bills to pay and a home to run.

He pressed his lips to hers softly, sighing as she put more pressure against him to coax him into a deeper kiss. Before she knew what was happening, a strong arm scooped her up under the backside, and he turned with her, sat on the bed, and let her sit in his lap with her legs around him.

Just as he slid his hands under her t-shirt to try and get the guts to remove the bra that was under there, the cellphone next to her began to vibrate...

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	9. New Experiences

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! Again, thanks so much for the continued support so far. Chapter thirteen is complete now, so I want to try and get some more productive writing done at the weekend when I have some time off. Unfortunately, my youngest kitten is very boisterous at night time, and is causing me and my boyfriend to lose a lot of sleep, so my level of productivity seems to have plummeted over the past few weeks. This is what happens when you own Bengal cats ;)

 **Morte Mistrata:** Hi! Thanks so much for your review. I understand how every OC learning to fight can get stale, but to be honest, it makes complete sense to me that if they were romantically involved with one of the boys, they'd be taught to defend themselves, at the very least. You can't walk into a relationship with someone like the Ninja Turtles and not expect to have to defend yourself at some point, and the guys won't always be able to come running to an OCs rescue if he or she is in trouble. As a lot of chapters are already written and waiting to be uploaded, I won't be changing my plotline. However, no real training has taken place yet, and I'm not entirely sure as to what direction I'm going to take things in that respect anyway. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the support! It means a lot!

 **The Silvernote** : Thanks again for the review, hun! I'm loving your fic as well, so I hope you update it soon. I think you'll be in for a treat with this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it! :)

Happy reading!

xxxxxxxxxx

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Nine: New Experiences }**

Breaking their heated kiss, Raphael almost growled, tightening his grip on Amelia's waist.

The blonde reached over and grabbed the vibrating phone, sighing angrily when she saw it was Ethan calling her again. She looked at her boyfriend who was getting angrier by the second, and she rejected the call, put the phone onto silent mode to stop it vibrating, and she then dropped it behind her onto the mattress that sat on the floor, untouched. Raphael relaxed at the realisation that she wasn't going to keep acknowledging the texts and calls, and as she kissed him again, the surge of bravery returned to him as he cautiously ran his hands under her t-shirt.

She tilted her head to the right as she ran her hands over his shoulders, allowing him access to her neck, since his lips were starting to head that way. She started to slowly rock her hips against his as she awkwardly wrapped her legs around his shell, and she could hear his breathing growing heavier as he played with the hem of her t-shirt and the skin of her lower back.

"You want this off?" She asked him in a whisper as he kissed her neck, biting her lip as he looked up at her for a moment before pressing his head to hers again, "Are you okay?"

"M'fine..." He mumbled, stealing a quick kiss on her lips as his hands went to the bottom of her t-shirt, "I've never..."

"I know." She replied, kissing his forehead gently, "This is all in your control. Do what you feel comfortable with."

She was so aroused that the scent was invading his senses, and _he_ was aroused to the point where it was almost painful, but he didn't think he could stop. It wasn't like doing any of this was wrong. He was old enough to do it, and damn it, he was practically a fucking _man_ now, so he wasn't prepared to let his stupid insecurities ruin everything again like they had earlier.

With a growl, he smashed his lips to hers, completely taking her breath away before he ragged the v-neck up and over her head. He was met with smooth, pale skin, and a pair of ample breasts hidden inside a white lace bra. His hands were gentle as they wandered over her hips and lower back, and as Amelia leaned into him, kissing across his jaw and then latching onto his neck, she heard him hiss as he took in a deep breath.

She felt his large fingers take a hold of her bra and slowly unhook it so smoothly that it was clear he'd seen it done many a time. She didn't blame him. She was fairly certain he had _urges_ sometimes, and she'd be very naïve to think that he'd never seen porn in his life. She just hoped that his expectations weren't going to lead to disappointment, since sex wasn't as smooth as it appeared to be in porn. She pulled away from his neck and cupped his face, drawing him into a deep, passionate kiss as he cautiously slid the bra straps from her shoulders. She straightened out her arms towards the floor, causing the garment to fall across her lap, and then, she lifted it in her slender fingers and dropped it to the floor, turning back to find Raphael gazing at her with a look in his eyes she'd never seen before.

The only sound in the room was their heavy breathing as their eyes met, and as he swallowed thickly, Raphael cupped her face with the ends of his fingers and drew her closer to kiss her again. He was overcome with this overwhelming desire to cry. This had only happened to him a handful of times in his life, including the duration of their near death experience in the city the previous year. He could feel his throat aching, and his chest tightening unbearably as their lips met and parted in a number of heated kisses. He was so in love with her. And damn him, if this was what romantic love felt like, he wasn't going to hide from it or pretend it didn't exist. He was so in love with her that the realisation almost caused him to sob, since the feeling was more overpowering than anything he'd ever felt before.

He felt hands between them as Amelia worked to unfasten his belt, and they looked at one another again, chests heaving and both sets of eyes glistening. If this was wrong, Amelia didn't want to be right. She'd never felt anything like this in her life. Her heart was swelling with the amount of love she felt for this person in front of her, this _man_ who'd saved her life all those months ago. The amount of emotion in his eyes made her want to cry.

As his belt joined her bra on the discarded mattress, Raphael picked her up and turned them so that she was laying against the pillows on his bed, and he grabbed both of her wrists, pinning them above her head with one hand while his mouth continued to explore her skin. He wanted to taste every fucking inch of her. He could feel her trying to break free from his hold so he let her, supporting himself on one arm as his other hand cradled the top of her head gently, his eyes bearing into hers.

He lowered himself down so that she took some of his weight, while trying to catch his breath for a moment as the emotions were beginning to take over. He could feel the pressure in his lower plastron, and he knew he couldn't cope for much longer with the sensation that was growing increasingly painful. Amelia sensed his discomfort and her hand came up to his face, stroking his cheek gently.

"Let me see." She whispered, kissing his lips softly, "It's okay..."

As he set himself free, Raphael sighed with relief. It felt so much better than having that horrendous pressure around his lower half, and to his amazement, Amelia glanced at his member for a second before looking back up at him, a soft smile gracing her flushed face. She didn't seem to be as disturbed by him than he thought he would be. She was taking it all in her stride, like there was nothing unusual about the situation at all.

"There." She whispered again, "Feel better?"

"Yeah." Raphael replied gruffly, kissing her lips, "It doesn't bother you?"

"It's part of you." Amelia told him, rubbing her hands over his shoulders and neck, "My breasts don't bother you, do they?"

"No." Raphael answered, "They're beautiful."

"Well, I think you're beautiful too." Amelia said quietly, earning herself a wicked smirk in response as Raphael leaned down to kiss her again.

His hands roamed over her toned stomach, the curves of her hips and her breasts. His lips were trailing down her front, towards her lower abdomen at a tortuously slow pace, too, which was driving Amelia mad. She almost yelled at him when he stopped at her belly button, and she found herself partially sitting up so that she could find out why he'd stopped. He'd seen these strange indentations many times before on humans, but he had no idea what it was or why it was there. He'd never really bothered to find out, considering he didn't feel there was any real need for him to know what it was.

"I have to ask..." He said, his voice thick with need, "Before we go any further... What the fuck is this?"

"It's my belly button." She said, reaching down and parting the skin so he could look at the little scar inside, "It's where I was attached to my mother. So, when I was born, the cord that joined us together got cut, and eventually the end attached to my tummy just fell off, leaving this behind."

Raphael looked at the scar for a little longer, seemingly very satisfied with the answer as he continued his journey down the rest of her body to where her shorts sat. He looked up at her as though asking for permission, which she gave him with a nod, and he wrapped his hands around the waistband of her shorts, before he pulled them down her slender, smooth legs, revealing a pair of white lace panties.

"I'm assuming you know what this is..." Amelia said quietly, tracing around the outside of her underwear with her index fingers.

"Believe me, I know." Raphael answered her, meeting her lips again in another deep kiss as he settled between her legs.

They brushed against each other, and both of them hissed as they took in deep breaths, their eyes closing at the contact. Raphael was starting to get nervous now. Were they actually going to attempt sex? Would it even work? The space between her legs looked tiny (from what he could see through her lace underwear anyway), and he wasn't exactly small. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him gently as she played with the ties of his bandanna, looking up at him with those gorgeous grey-blue eyes.

"I don't wanna hurt you." He said softly, brushing a thick lock of her honey-blonde hair out of her face.

"If you're not ready..."

"I _want_ this." He interrupted her, "I'm just... I'm _scared_ of causing you pain."

"Look at you..." She whispered, taking in the way that his body was starting to tremble with need, "You need and want this as much as I do... So, we'll take it slow and steady. If you hurt me, I know it won't be intentional."

Trying to quell the sudden onset of light tremors, Raphael nodded and reached between them to take her underwear in his hand as he carefully slid that off too. He took a moment to look at her, bare and beautiful as she watched him with those fucking stunning eyes that were alight with a fire he'd never seen before. For the second time in a matter of twenty-four hours, he felt incredibly vulnerable.

He couldn't even speak. He leaned down and kissed her so hard that she gasped into it, and a long, breathy moan escaped her lips as she breathed out again. Her hands cupped his face and slid around his bandanna covered head, her dainty fingers resting on the ties.

"I don't wanna take this off." She said quietly, "It makes you look badass. And sexy."

"Leave it, then." He told her, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead as he reached down to touch her for the first time.

Amelia could tell that he knew how to touch her, but she was more focussed on relaxing her muscles for when he entered her for the first time. She relaxed into his touch and allowed him to feel all of her just for a few moments, before she reached down and took him in her hand. It didn't really feel any different to touching a human man, and when he ran her hand over him, she felt him shudder and heard a long breath escape his lips, which made her body tingle with delight.

"Ready?" She asked him, pressing her hips closer to him.

Raphael nodded, taking note of the way she spread her legs wider for him, which set his heart racing even faster than it was already. He leaned down and kissed her as she lined him up with her entrance, and as they broke apart, her spare hand cupped his face as he slid one arm under her to support her, and used the other to support himself.

"Okay... Slowly..." She told him, feeling him pushing against her carefully.

Raphael almost stopped when he saw her angle her hips to try and accommodate him, and as the tip of his member slid inside of her, she frowned as though she was in pain. He went to pull out but she stopped him, carefully angling herself and taking deep breaths to relax her muscles enough to take him. It was the most nerve-wracking thing that Raphael had ever done in his life, but he was equally as excited, because he never believed he'd get to experience this in his life, yet here was someone who was willing to share this with him. It meant more to him than she'd ever understand.

"You can move... Slowly..." Amelia whispered, keeping her eyes closed as she shifted her legs so that they rested against his strong thighs, her heels digging into the back of them.

He pushed forward slowly, letting out a shuddering breath as he lowered his head to her neck. She gently calmed him by running her hands up his arms and resting them behind his neck and across his shoulders, massaging him to encourage him. He pulled back out steadily, letting out a quiet, but deep moan as he pushed back in. That sound alone drove her crazy enough that she almost lost control. She was amazed that she wasn't finding anything weird about this. She was having sex with a mutated turtle... Yet it was the best thing that had ever happened to her in her life.

He was showing more consideration for her in this moment than she'd ever had from a human man before. That was enough to show her that this was in no way wrong or strange. Biting her lip, she felt him push back in again and this time the movement came with very little restriction, which made her temporarily stop breathing as she felt him strike that spot inside that sent a pleasurable jolt through her chest and stomach.

Raphael saw her head tilt back as she let out a half-breath, half-moan. Her eyebrows pulled together in a frown, but her grip on his shoulders tightened, and her mouth fell open as he pulled back out. He went for the same spot again, and he saw her tongue peak out between her teeth as she spoke to him almost silently.

"There..."

He started to move a little quicker, cradling her to him like she was going to be torn from his grasp at any moment. There was barely any sound coming from her, but her shuddering breath and the way that her legs were tightening against his was driving him insane. It wasn't like he wanted her to make a lot of noise anyway. His brothers and father didn't need to hear what they were up to.

Due to his size and the way that he was moving, Amelia was brought to her climax quicker than she ever had been before, and as she tightened around him, breathing out words like ' _Fuck_ ' and ' _Yes_ ', Raphael couldn't hold on any more. The sound he made didn't even sound like it had come from him at all. It was somewhere between a deep, guttural growl and churr, then he heard himself panting for breath as his own orgasm tore through him with a force he'd never felt before. He slowed to a stop on top of her, trying to keep himself from collapsing on her by balancing on his shaking limbs.

Amelia's eyes opened and she was met with a very satisfied looking Raphael. Even though she knew she'd probably be sore as hell in the morning, she didn't care. She looked up at him and cupped the back of his head, drawing him down for a deep and loving kiss. His eyes were still closed as he caught his breath, and as his hand tangled in her hair, she heard three words escape his lips that shook her to the core.

"I love you." He whispered, opening his eyes to look at her as she stared back at him, stunned, "I don't care if you freak out about it... I fucking _love_ you."

After a moment of silence, as she studied the honest look in his eyes, Amelia let another beaming smile escape onto her face as she ran the backs of her slender fingers down his face, her other hand resting lazily around his the back of his neck. She felt him leave her body slowly, and then he settled back down to join her against the pillows, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I love you too." She told him with a nod, "I really, _truly_ love you."

"You do?" He asked her, still breathing heavily as he continued to cradle her slim form.

"With all my heart." She replied, pressing closer to him as she kissed him softly, "So... How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Raphael chuckled breathlessly, "But fucking _great_. I feel amazing. You feeling okay?"

"Me?" Amelia laughed, kissing him again, "I'm wonderful. I might be kinda sore tomorrow, but, I'll be fine."

She could see the large turtle getting sleepy as he protectively pulled her into his body, and she gently rubbed his large arms to keep him awake so that they could get under the covers. Even though what they'd just done had gotten them worked up and hot, the room was freezing, so she nudged him awake, kissing his forehead gently.

"Come on, baby... Under the covers." She whispered, hearing him grumble as he slowly sat up, easing himself off of the bed.

His member was no longer visible, so Amelia assumed it had gone back to wherever it came from in the first place, which she assumed was somewhere in his lower half. Raphael's legs were shaking too, she noticed, so she quickly threw back the covers and ushered him into bed, grabbing her cell phone to make sure that she hadn't had any important calls. Ethan had called her six times and had left numerous texts behind, though, which caused worry to settle into the pit of her stomach. She bit her lip and set the phone on the night stand before turning off the lamp that sat on it, climbing into bed beside her boyfriend who was fumbling around the mattress for her.

Trying to push her concerns about Ethan out of her head, Amelia swallowed down the lump in her throat and curled up into Raphael's form as he stretched out on his back, settling against the thick pillows. He wrapped her up in his arms and brushed his hand over her hair, murmuring softly against the skin of her forehead as sleep began to conquer him.

"I love you." He whispered, giving her a sweet kiss on her forehead, "Night, darlin'."

"I love you, too." She replied, feeling her eyes well up with tears as he kissed her again, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

Raphael tightened is hold on her and for the first time in a long time, Amelia felt truly safe and truly loved. As the emotion from this realisation started to overwhelm her, she held onto him and closed her eyes tightly to try and stop her tears from falling.

It took a while, but eventually, she felt sleep beginning to overtake her, and she allowed herself to succumb to it, safe in the knowledge that no-one would be able to hurt her as long as she was in his arms.

* * *

Raphael awoke the next morning to the sound of rustling, and he was met with Amelia's beautiful face smiling down at him. She was wrapped in nothing but her pink towel, with her wet, honey-blonde hair hanging over one shoulder. She looked like a goddess to him, with the soft light of the bedside lamp casting a warm glow over her wet skin.

"Good morning." She whispered sweetly, reaching down with her free hand and tracing a line with the pad of her index finger from his eye ridge, down to his jaw.

"Morning." He replied sleepily, taking the small limb in his own larger hand, "You okay?"

"Sore." She giggled, "But other than that I'm... I feel really good. What about you?"

"I'm good, too." Raphael answered her, looking into those twinkling eyes of hers.

She briefly looked away from him and continued to play with the ends of her wet hair. She'd been thinking it over in the shower that morning, that perhaps his confession of love to her was because his hormones were on overdrive from what they did. She couldn't help but be anxious that maybe her own feelings weren't the same as his.

"What is it?" He asked her, sitting up and moving towards her carefully, "Amelia?"

"Did you mean what you said last night?" She asked him, biting her lip as a flush spread to her cheeks, "Did you really mean to say that you loved me...?"

Raphael stilled. Was she really doubting him after he'd given himself to her so willingly? What if she was regretting what they'd done the night before? He didn't know if he could take it if she was, because he'd never had an experience so uplifting and wonderful in his life. Taking her hand in his, he placed it on his plastron above his heart, allowing her to feel it pounding wildly under his skin.

"Do you love me?" He asked her, taking her by surprise.

"I love you more than you're ever gonna understand." She replied with a lump in her throat, feeling his thrumming heart speed up even more at her words.

She understood then. His heart was racing as it was just because she was in his presence, but when she said she loved him, it raced even faster. He was trying to prove to her that he loved her without having to say so.

"Does this answer your question?" He asked quietly, letting her hand go as a bashful smile made its way onto her face, "Amelia?"

"Yeah?" She answered, meeting his gaze again.

"I love you." He told her, leaning forward and kissing her lips gently, "With all that I am."

She nodded, letting out a really girlie giggle as she half hid her face in her towel, as though it was finally sinking in for the first time that he really did love her. She leaned towards him again and gave him a deep, loving kiss before she stood from the bed to go and dry her hair, speaking softly to him as she walked away.

"I love you, too."

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	10. Sunday

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Greetings, one and all! I was super excited to see more reviews and followers when I woke up this morning! Thank you all so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story. I'm still working on it as I upload it, and I can now say that I'm not far from reaching the end (not to disappoint anyone). However. I am considering a sequel, and/or writing more fics featuring OCs for the boys. I'm gonna leave the choice up to you when we get to the end of the story with regards to how you want the sequel or new stories to play out.

 **DaLadyofSouls:** Oh, my word! Thank you so much for your consistent reviews! They really brighten my day, and I'll do my best to maintain the level of quality throughout the rest of the fic. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Xahraxs:** I'd like to thank you for coming back and reviewing the fic again! It means a lot to me that you're still sticking with me and this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it!

 **Alex:** Thanks for your review! I can assure you that you'll get the answers to your questions very soon. Happy reading!

 **The Silvernote:** I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter so much. I hope you enjoy this one too! And I'll be sure to follow your fic so I get alerts, because I think I forgot to do that as well. Thanks for the continued support!

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Ten: Sunday }**

Sundays were probably the turtles' favourite day of the week.

They would use the time they had on that day to do whatever they wanted, whether that was sleeping in late, working out, watching TV, playing video games, or in Donatello's case, working in his lab. Amelia made breakfast that morning, which consisted of eggs, bacon, toast and tomatoes, and as she finally got to sit down to eat her own food, she looked down at the cell phone that was now void of messages and calls. Finally, Ethan had taken the hint and stopped calling her.

Raphael's hand on her back soothed her as she started to eat her breakfast, and as Donatello poured the worried girl a cup of coffee, he also put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. Michelangelo looked worriedly between Amelia and his brothers, biting his lip. It was clear that she was still worrying about the guy who'd been bugging her the night before.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay going to work tomorrow?" Raphael asked her quietly, "You could call in sick."

"Maybe you're right." Amelia whispered, rubbing her hand across her forehead as she played with her food, "It's just that Lillian needs me there. It's just me, her and Ethan who run that place. I only work five hours a day, but I'd hate to leave her in the lurch."

"If you explain the situation to her, I'm sure she'll understand." Leonardo said in a gentle tone, "I doubt she'd blame you. It sounds like you get a lot of unwanted attention from him."

"Yeah." Amelia replied, taking a bite of one of her pieces of toast, "He makes me nervous."

"I'd feel much better if you didn't go." Raphael told her quietly, "I don't want him to hurt you."

"I'll think on it." Amelia said quietly as Donatello left her side, resting head on her hand.

The brothers shared a worried look, but went back to their meals without another word on the subject. Raphael kept stealing glances at Amelia as she continued to play with her food, and after a few moments of watching her miserably poke the food around her plate, he couldn't take it any more. He didn't want some weird dude putting his girlfriend off her food. She barely ate the day before.

"You need to eat something, babe." He told her quietly, rubbing her back again.

"I don't know if I can stomach it." Amelia whispered, putting her fork down with a fed up expression on her face, "I'll try and eat something later."

Raphael looked across at his brothers who kept gazing at Amelia with concern as she ran her hands over her face and into her hair. She looked around at all of them tiredly, wanting nothing more than to just get up from the table and walk away. She hated being stared at like that. It was like her every movement was being scrutinised and she couldn't take it any more.

"Amelia?"

"I'm fine." She replied with a deep sigh, getting out of her seat, "Really."

She decided to walk away from the table, the cell phone clutched tightly in her hand as she headed up to the bathroom. She closed and locked the bathroom door before going to sit against the large bath, bringing her knees up to her chest. She just needed time on her own to figure out what she was going to do, and she couldn't do with everyone staring at her.

Back at the table, Raphael gazed at the bathroom door, waiting for Amelia to come back out. He wished she hadn't taken the phone with her, because he would've called Ethan and told him in no uncertain terms to back the fuck off and leave his girlfriend alone. Angrily, he got up from the table and headed for the dojo, trying not to lose his temper until he was out of sight. He needed to kick the fuck out of something, before he did it to some _one_.

He didn't want Amelia to feel like she had to do anything she didn't want to, but he didn't want that fucking _creep_ forcing himself on her while she was trying to earn a living either. He wanted her to make the choice to stay with them an extra day or two until she could talk to her boss about it. In truth, he didn't want her to go home at all. Her absence, even now as he started kicking the large punchbag in the dojo again, was painful, despite them only being in separate rooms.

As he hit the punchbag harder, Raphael could only hope that Amelia would be back to her usual, bubbly self soon.

* * *

Amelia was asleep when Raphael went to check on her a couple of hours later. The turtle looked at her sleeping form, studying the worried expression on her face, and the way her long, dainty fingers were wrapped possessively around the cell phone in her hands. Taking a step forward, he crouched beside her and pried the device from her fingers to look at it. It wasn't easy to navigate because it wasn't built for mutated turtles, but after a couple of minutes of struggling with his large fingers, he found her inbox that contained all of her text messages.

There were a lot from Ethan, most of which were unanswered, _begging_ Amelia to talk to him. He was telling her that she'd have to speak to him tomorrow whether she wanted to or not, and that she was making a huge mistake by not dating him. Then he saw one from her mother, which simply said, _'We're disappointed in you.'_

"Why are you reading my messages?"

Raphael's eyes slowly left the phone in his large hand, and met the rather sleepy and confused eyes of his girlfriend, who was stirring from her position on her stomach as she turned slightly to look at him. She didn't look or sound angry, but that didn't mean she wasn't feeling it. He didn't really know what to say. He knew he'd sort of betrayed her trust by going through her stuff, but he just wanted to make sure that Ethan had left her alone.

"I was just making sure that you'd been left alone by that creep." Raphael said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise." She whispered, reaching out to gently stroke his face, "I have nothing to hide."

"How are you feeling?" He asked her quietly, looking into her lovely blue eyes as he leaned into her touch.

"Scared." She said softly, taking the phone from his hands and placing it on his night stand, "Upset. My mother deems me a disappointment to the family. She wants to come and visit but I've told her it's out of the question."

Raphael stood up to join her in bed, noticing how she curled her legs up again to allow him room so that he could get onto the bed and settle down with her. He got under the covers with her, and rolled her onto her side so that he could hold her against his large chest. The sigh that escaped her lips was one that was both heavy and weary as she pressed into his arms.

"I don't want my family anywhere near me. They're abusive, horrible people and I don't need that kind of toxicity in my life." Amelia whispered, relaxing more as Raphael started to stroke soothing lines up and down her back, "It makes me wonder, though, what I did to deserve it all."

"Deserve what?"

Raphael hadn't really wanted to ask the question but he knew he had to. He needed to know what her family was like, because it was highly probable from the way that she was talking that she'd been through a lot more than he thought. He couldn't imagine treating his own family abusively, so the thought of someone behaving that way towards his girlfriend was gut wrenching.

"The way I was treated." Amelia said quietly, sounding as though she didn't want to continue with the conversation, "I'm sorry I left the table like that. I hope your brothers weren't offended."

"Nah, they weren't." Raphael said reassuringly, continuing to rub her back, "They just wanna know that you're okay. You're their little sister now, you know."

Then, came the smile. It was a beautiful, genuine, warm, loving smile, one that Raphael had been dying to see for most of the morning. The other smiles he'd seen were forced ones. Ones that clearly she'd just given the brothers to appease them as they grew more concerned about her.

"What's everyone doing?" She asked in a soft tone.

"Mikey's playing video games." Raphael whispered, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, "Donnie's working on the heating again... And Leo's reading. Master Splinter's making you some tea, which is why I came to check on you. He wanted to know if you were alright."

"We should go and talk to them." Amelia said softly, sitting up slowly from Raphael's embrace, "Thank you for not being defensive when I asked you about my messages... I honestly don't mind you reading them."

"Well, thanks, but I won't read them again." Raphael promised, "They're your private conversations with other people. I just wanted to make sure _he_ wasn't threatening you."

"I think I'm gonna call Lillian and explain the situation." Amelia said as she climbed out of bed, grabbing her hairbrush from the night stand, "She's really nice, and a great boss. I'm sure she won't mind."

Raphael sat up and took the brush from Amelia's gentle grip as she sat on the bed, before he took her soft, luscious hair in his hands. He'd seen her brush her hair a million and one times, so he knew how to do it for her. He could tell that she was exhausted, probably because she'd clearly been kept awake most of the night through her worrying, if the dark circles under her blue eyes told him anything. He double checked the door to make sure he'd closed it, because the last thing he needed was for his brothers to barge in and catch him brushing a girl's hair.

He gently combed out the small tangles that had settled themselves in her hair, and immediately, he saw her shoulders sag as she relaxed where she was sitting between his legs. Her hands went to his thighs as she held her tired self up, and he carefully ran the brush through her long hair, running from her scalp to the tips of it.

After a few minutes, he put the brush down and then ran his fingers through the loose curls, stopping at the base of her neck to lightly trace his fingers against the skin of her throat and shoulders. Goosebumps were raising on her soft skin, both from his touch and the cold of the room, so Raphael kissed her shoulder tenderly before he leaned down to drag her bag out from under his bed. He knew she had a thick, light grey, hooded sweater in there, so he grabbed it for her and helped her into it, and then he gently leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

She squeezed his thigh gratefully before she eased her body upwards and off the mattress, her limbs sagging through exhaustion. She hadn't eaten anything since the previous night, apart from a small bite of her breakfast that morning. Raphael followed her out of bed, and as she grabbed her cell phone, she slipped it into the pocket of her hooded sweater as she zipped it up. He reached for her hand and took it carefully, holding the delicate limb in his own hand.

"You need to eat something." He urged her quietly as they left his room, "You're exhausted."

"Uh-huh..." She responded with a sigh, "I'll get something."

"Mikey said he'd make you whatever you want." Raphael told her, slowly heading down the stairs with her, "Get settled on the couch and I'll go get your tea."

"Okay." Amelia replied with a nod as they got to the bottom, heading over to the couch where Michelangelo was sitting.

"Hey, baby-doll!" Michelangelo said with a grin as he paused his video game, "You want some breakfast?"

Amelia eased herself down onto the couch and gave him a tired nod, and Raphael turned just in time to see Michelangelo quickly pull Amelia into a one armed hug before nuzzling her head gently as though to comfort her. He smiled to himself and let out a quiet huff of laughter before continuing towards the kitchen, where Master Splinter was still making the tea.

"How is she?" He asked Raphael softly.

"Exhausted." Raphael answered with a sigh, "She needs food and she needs time to relax. I think she's gonna call her boss later to talk about what's going on with this creepy co-worker of hers."

Splinter nodded with a thoughtful hum, and he handed Raphael the hot cup of tea, placing his now free hand on his son's shell. Raphael let out a sigh and turned back to the couch as Michelangelo was heading to the kitchen. He felt Splinter's hand disappear from his shoulder, and the ageing rat passed him to go towards his own rooms, leaving the brothers alone.

"She wants toast." The orange-clad turtle said quietly, "She doesn't look so good, Raph."

"I know." Raphael muttered as his little brother started making the food for his girlfriend, "Thanks, Mikey."

Michelangelo saluted him with a smile as the red-clad turtle set off to join Amelia on the couch, where she seemed to be sitting deep in thought. As he arrived, he sat down beside her and handed her the cup, which she took gratefully as she rubbed at her tired eyes with her spare hand. He hated knowing that she was this worried, when he couldn't do anything to help her. It sucked.

"I'm... Uh... I'm gonna call Lillian." Amelia said in a near whisper, putting the cup down the coffee table, "I'd better do it now, before I change my mind."

"Sure." Raphael replied, watching her as she tiredly got out of her seat and trudged towards the stairs.

As she sat down on the bottom step, she took out her cell phone, tapping and swiping away until she brought it to her ear. He watched her as she spoke to her boss with what appeared to be a fed up, and frustrated expression. She was rubbing her thumb and index finger across her brow as she explained the situation, but to Raphael's relief, Amelia seemed to relax as she listened to her boss's response.

"Is she okay?"

Raphael looked up to see Michelangelo approaching with a plate of toast in his hand, and he nodded, looking back over to his girlfriend who happened to also be nodding at something her boss was saying on the other end of the phone.

"She's talking to her boss." He said gruffly as Michelangelo sat next to him and put the toast down on the coffee table, "I don't feel happy about her being topside without me right now."

"Dude, you can't suffocate her like that. She needs to be able to have her life without you following her around." Michelangelo replied with a frown, "And besides, you can't go topside during the day anyway. You'll be seen."

Raphael went to grumble at his younger brother, but the sound of Amelia sighing as she returned to his side brought him out of his bad mood. She looked so much better already, like a big weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She sat down between the brothers and took the plate of toast in hand, smiling brightly.

"Thanks, Mikey." She said sweetly, turning to Raphael, "Lillian's given me a couple of days off until she gets a chance to deal with Ethan."

"Great. So, you don't have to go back tonight?" Raphael asked, hopefully.

"Well, I do need some clean clothes and to do some laundry, but it should only take a couple of hours." She answered with a small grin, "You can come with me if you like."

"Sure." Raphael replied as she took a bite of her toast, "I'm glad you can stay for a couple more days."

"Me too." She said sweetly, "I'm just gonna worry myself sick when you're out on patrol, though."

Raphael and Michelangelo shared a look. Of course she was going to worry about them. They put their lives on the line almost every night for the people of New York, and now that she and Raphael had become involved in a romantic relationship, she was going to worry even more about them, particularly her boyfriend. And there would be nothing that the boys could do to make her feel any better, no matter how they reassured her.

"We'll be fine." The orange-clad turtle said brightly, "We kick butt all the time."

"Just bring something down with you later tonight that can keep you busy while we're out tomorrow." Raphael told her, putting an arm around her as she finished her food, "We're normally out until just before dawn, so... Don't wait up for us when we go."

"Okay." Amelia replied, reaching forward to get her cup of tea, "So... It's just after twelve now... What are we going to do for the rest of the afternoon?"

Raphael had to remember very quickly that his brother was there, as a multitude of dirty thoughts entered his head. He also remembered that Amelia was in pain following last night's escapade, so he didn't want to hurt her any more than he had done already. So, he would have to settle for something that didn't involve taking Amelia to bed.

"You look tired." Michelangelo said quietly, "We could just watch movies. Donnie managed to find some awesome ones for me."

"Sure." Amelia replied, leaning against Raphael as he lifted his arm for her, taking a sip of her tea.

Excitedly, Michelangelo got out his list of movies, and the trio settled on watching _The Mummy_. It was one of Amelia's favourites, and neither Raphael or Michelangelo had seen it before, which amazed her, considering how old it was. She shuffled about in her seat as the movie was starting, almost as though she couldn't get comfortable, so Raphael scooped her up, placed her on his lap, and let her settle back in his arms so that she could lounge freely. Michelangelo scooted up next to his brother and let Amelia rest her legs on his, and he carefully took to rubbing her feet for her.

Amelia was content to sit there, sleepily drink her tea and allow herself, for once, to be pampered. Raphael began to stroke her side gently, while Michelangelo started to massage her legs as well. She sighed and leaned back into Raphael's embrace, grinning when she felt him press his lips to her temple lovingly. It felt great to have someone who would do little things like that for her. The smallest of kisses from him made her feel so loved and so appreciated, and it was a wonderful feeling to experience.

"How's the tea?" He asked her, keeping his free arm wrapped around her waist.

"Lovely." She answered with a sigh, "I feel so much better."

"Good." Raphael replied, grinning as she snuggled down into his embrace, "I'm glad."

"We really should make sure that Master Splinter's okay with me staying for another couple of days." Amelia said softly.

"He'll be fine with it." Raphael whispered, "But, I'll talk to him later."

"Thank you." Amelia smiled, turning her head and pressing her lips to his cheek in a sweet kiss.

Raphael held onto her a little tighter, resting his head to hers. Michelangelo kept rubbing Amelia's feet, while trying to ignore the shock of seeing his brother be so gentle and loving with someone. Raphael wasn't normally like this. He was the brother who was the tough guy, and the one who didn't like to show any emotions other than anger or joy. Yet, here was was, _cuddling_ this gorgeous human girl, and stroking her waist as she relaxed in his embrace.

Michelangelo couldn't help but feel proud that his big brother had managed to get over that bravado and actually focus on what was important, which was his relationship with this beautiful girl. He was making sure that Amelia felt loved and felt cared for, which was what she needed, considering the snippets of information he'd heard about her not-so-nice family. He briefly looked across to see Raphael resting his head against Amelia's, before the red-clad turtle's eyes slid closed as though he was savouring just being like this with her.

It made Michelangelo's heart lurch, and caused a painful tightening in his chest. Raphael was clearly so in love with this girl, and that moment that he was taking to cherish her was so intimate, that the youngest turtle had to look away.

He gently continued his massaging of Amelia's legs and feet, while trying to allow her and his brother as much privacy in that beautiful moment as he could.

~ To Be Continued ~

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 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

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	11. Worrywart

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! Thanks again for the continued support with this fic! Amazingly, I'm on the last chapter now, so I'm proud to say I'll actually be completing a fic for the first time in ages. I should really go through my stories and get rid of the ones I won't be returning to, but then I keep getting new followers and I feel bad for doing it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **The Silvernote:** I'm thinking about a sequel, but I'm not sure really what I want to. I'll talk more about it in the A/N of the last chapter. Thanks for the review again! You've been awesome!

Happy reading!

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 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Eleven: Worrywart}**

"There's the signal..." Raphael said quietly as he and Donatello watched the light flicker on, off and on again in Amelia's apartment window, "Follow me."

The two gracefully, and almost silently headed up the fire escape towards Amelia's living room window, which was now opened, waiting for them to enter her apartment. They made their way inside as quickly as possible because it was so cold outside, and Raphael shut the window behind them as Amelia packed some more clothes for her extended stay.

She was going to leave her laundry until the Tuesday that she came back to the surface, but she had to pick up some razors to shave her legs, and she needed clean clothes for the next couple of days. Raphael watched warily out of the window, since he didn't trust that Ethan Black would be able to stay away from Amelia's apartment as he'd been there once that weekend already.

"So, this is where you were sneaking off to..." Donatello whispered, keeping the noise down so as not to alert the neighbours, "I gotta say, it's a nice place. I'm amazed that she can afford it on part-time pay."

"Yeah, her grandmother left her some money when she died." Raphael replied quietly, "So, she left her family in the suburbs and moved out here. She was so desperate to get out of there, she pushed herself through school so that she could leave a year early."

"She doesn't get on very well with her family then, does she?" Donatello said sadly, looking around at the walls that were void of photographs, unlike a lot of the homes he'd seen on TV, "She doesn't even have any pictures."

"I don't know much about it." Raphael admitted, shrugging, "She's never said anything to me about it. And I haven't asked because I know that there are issues that she struggles to talk about.

"Oh..." Donatello replied in a whisper, nodding his head thoughtfully.

The sound of Amelia's footsteps caused both brothers to stop their conversation, and the girl appeared with a fresh bag of clothes over her shoulder, her winter clothes still wrapped around her small form. Raphael gave her his best smile as he walked over to her, taking the bag from her. Without another word, Donatello and Raphael headed out of the window, while Amelia closed it behind them and headed out of the front door, locking it behind her.

She hurried into the alleyway where Raphael was already heading into the sewer, and like last time, she allowed Donatello to pick her up and escort her to the tunnels below. The journey back to the lair consisted of Donatello carrying Amelia's bag for her while Raphael carried her on his shell, and the purple-clad turtle couldn't help but smile at how relaxed and _happy_ his brother seemed. Raphael hadn't been this genuinely happy in years.

"So, what are you guys doing when we get back?" Donatello asked as they slowly headed through the tunnels.

"I dunno... What do you wanna do, babe?" Raphael asked the girl, hearing her yawn in response, "I think we'll be going to bed, Donnie."

"I'm not _that_ tired." Amelia protested, leaning comfortably on her boyfriend's shell.

"Sure." Raphael chuckled, glancing over at Donatello, "You need some sleep, man... You look exhausted."

"I've nearly made a breakthrough with this heating issue." The genius said with a sigh, "It shouldn't take too long for me to work out what would be best thing to do. This place needs to be comfortably warm for all of us."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Amelia asked sleepily.

"I'd rather not leave it any later." Donatello answered with a shrug, "I could use the extra time tomorrow to get the parts I need to improve the system. It'll take me all day to do that."

"Well, we'll give you a hand." Amelia offered, her eyes slipping closed, "Won't we, Raph?"

"Sure." Raphael answered, tightening his grip on Amelia's arms as she started to lose her grip on his shell, "Hey, just stay awake for a little longer..."

"Uh-huh..." Amelia nodded, settling against his shell again.

Raphael shared a look with Donatello and the two cracked a smile as Amelia continued to grow sleepier while she lay across the back of Raphael's shell. She snuggled up to him and blinked lazily as she held onto him, clearly fighting a losing battle with sleep.

"Nearly there." Raphael soothed her, tightening his hold on her arms again, "I thought you weren't _that_ tired."

"Shut up." Amelia mumbled, playfully swatting Raphael's head, "I've had a long day."

When they reached the lair, Donatello headed straight for his lab, and Raphael carried Amelia upstairs to his room. He helped her out of her winter layers and she sleepily dressed in her warm, winter pyjamas, before promptly falling asleep against Raphael's shoulder. Smiling to himself, the turtle got her settled in the warmth of his bed, and then started to remove his gear and his bandanna, placing them on the discarded mattress.

He made sure the bedroom door was locked, and he then headed back to the bed, switching out the light quietly. He got into bed with Amelia, who was already half asleep, and wrapped the covers around them both, since the air was getting colder, before he drew her closer to let her rest against his plastron. A clumsy hand reached up and patted him lightly on the cheek, and then, she reached around the back of his bare head and pulled him down to give him a kiss. Raphael couldn't help but smile against her lips at how adorable she was.

"Night..." She muttered as her hand fell down from the back of his head.

"Night, darlin'." Raphael replied softly, resting his head against hers, "Sleep tight."

* * *

The following morning, the boys were nowhere to be found when Amelia finally managed to get out of bed. It was a struggle, just because she was so physically and mentally tired, but eventually she managed to drag herself out from the warm cocoon of Raphael's bedding. She trudged to the bathroom, showered, shaved her legs, and then she got herself dressed before heading out into the main area of the lair. Moving towards the kitchen area, she found a pot of coffee with a post-it note stuck on the side of it.

It read: _Dudette. In training. Fresh coffee here, cookies in the fridge. Love Mikey. X_

Smiling, Amelia ran a hand through her loosely curled hair, grabbed the cup that was sitting on the counter for her, and poured some coffee, relishing in the refreshing scent as it filled her nostrils. She went to the fridge and found chocolate chip cookies on a plate inside, so she grabbed one of those as well and then went to sit at the table. Taking her cell phone out of the pocket of her blue hooded sweater, she placed it carefully on the table so that she could answer it in a timely fashion if she got a call from Lillian.

The sound of the dojo door opening caught Amelia's attention, and she was met with the cheerful voices of the brothers as they all talked about their sparring matches with each other. It sounded like they'd had an awesome time, which brought a grin to Amelia's lips. She loved hearing them all getting along so well, and she also loved to see Raphael looking as happy as he was in that moment. That was when he caught sight of her sitting at the large dining table, and he let out a genuinely bright smile before striding over to her without another word to his brothers. He was wiping down the back of his neck, and his shoulders with a towel to get rid of the sweat that had built up from his work-out, and he left it hanging around his neck as he approached his girlfriend.

"Hey." She said sweetly, swallowing the last of her cookie, "How was training?"

"Good." Raphael laughed, "I kicked Mikey's ass."

Amelia smiled up at him and took a sip of her coffee, only to be met with a sad looking Michelangelo as he plopped himself down in the seat opposite her. She frowned at him sympathetically as he sighed and lowered his head to the table. The youngest turtle didn't win many matches, apparently, and it was sad to see him looking so upset with himself. Raphael had told her before that Michelangelo always thought badly of himself because of it.

"Aww, Mikey..." Amelia said sweetly, "I'm sure you'll beat Raph next time."

"Maybe." Michelangelo muttered, resting his head on his arms, "Did you sleep good, baby-doll?"

"Yeah, thanks." Amelia replied with a nod, "I feel much better. I just feel kind of bad that I'm not at work."

"I feel better that you're not." Raphael said with a huff, leaning down to press lips to Amelia's hair gently, "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Okay." Amelia whispered, watching Raphael as he headed off to take a shower, leaving her with Michelangelo, "Do you want a cookie, Mikey?"

"No." Michelangelo groaned, burying his head back into his arms as Donatello headed over with Leonardo in tow.

"Morning, Amelia." Donatello said with a smile, "Are there any cookies left?"

"Just a few." Amelia said with a nod, "I only ate one."

As Donatello walked towards the fridge, Leonardo sat next to Amelia with a sigh, looking at her cell phone with interest. The boys had all seen the text messages that Ethan had been sending to Amelia, and Raphael, naturally, wanted her to go to the police about it. Leonardo actually agreed with his brother on the subject, considering that none of them could go topside with her to keep her safe. The least she could do was get herself some protection from the city's law enforcement, no matter how inept they sometimes were.

"Have you heard from your boss yet?" He asked her softly, earning a shake of the head from the young girl, "I still think that Raph's right... The police might be able to help you get a restraining order or something."

"I dunno, Leo..." Amelia muttered, letting out a heavy sigh as she finished her coffee, "I don't feel like they'd do anything about it. He hasn't made threats or anything like that. He's just being overly persistent."

"And it's working. Look at you." Leonardo replied, putting a hand on her back, "You're worried, right? Scared, even? You're not sleeping because of him, you're not your usual self either... He's trying to break you down until you snap and give him what he wants."

"Easy, Leo." Donatello said softly, taking a seat next to Michelangelo, "You'll scare her even more."

"I'm only being realistic." Leonardo retorted, squeezing Amelia's shoulder gently in an attempt to comfort her.

"You guys won't let anything happen to me, will you?" She asked quietly, running a hand through her hair, "You know... If things get worse?"

"You're our little sister." Michelangelo said, lifting his head from his arms, "We'll never let anyone hurt you."

"Raph would probably pulverise Ethan before he had the chance to do anything anyway." Donatello added, taking a sip of his coffee, "It's taking everything that he's got to actually keep himself from finding the guy."

"We're all here to keep you safe." Leonardo said with a reassuring smile, "Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe Ethan will give up pursuing you if he knows you're not giving into him."

Amelia could only nod as worry entered her head once again. She didn't want to go to the police, because the first time she told Ethan no should've been enough, and like she'd already said, she didn't think the cops would even do anything about it. She knew he was kind of weird, but she never expected him to suddenly start harassing her like this. She was worried about going home the next evening because once Raphael left, if Ethan turned up at her door, she'd have no-one there to protect her.

Trying to ignore the wave of nausea that washed over her at those thoughts, Amelia changed the topic of conversation in the hopes that it would pass the time before her boss called her back.

* * *

Just after lunch, Amelia had received a call from Lillian, who told her that Ethan had been suspended until the situation could be assessed properly. On Wednesday morning, Amelia would have to go to work and show Lillian the messages and voicemails so that she could properly document it, and then further action would be taken, which may involve the police. Amelia couldn't help but think that it wasn't going to do any good to involve the police, but if her boss decided it was the best course of action, then she'd have to go ahead with it and pay the cops a visit.

Raphael was relieved. At least Amelia could go back to work on the Wednesday and not have to worry about spending five hours in that creepy fuck's company. Luckily, Lillian's husband had offered to step in for the next two days so that the book store was staffed properly, which meant that Amelia could still have her extra days off. Raphael wanted to spend that time getting his girlfriend back to her old self, and he was determined to make the most out of the next couple of days while he could.

So, as a way of celebrating, Raphael and Amelia had managed to sneak away to their room, and had spent the past hour in one another's arms, having the most passionate and loving sex that Amelia had ever experienced in her life. Now, a very sated Raphael rested against the thick pillows of his bed, and in his arms he held a much more relaxed Amelia, who was gently running her index finger across his plastron as she thought about what they'd just done together.

"I love you." She whispered, closing her eyes as she nuzzled further into him.

"Love you too." He replied quietly, drawing her even closer, "You feeling better?"

"Yeah." She answered him, pressing a kiss to his throat, "Much better."

"Good." He said, squeezing her tightly to him again, "Make sure you get your rest tonight. I'll be back from patrol before dawn."

"I doubt I'll be able to sleep, baby." Amelia told him, feeling him take a hold of the hand that was still tracing his plastron, "I'll be worried sick."

"You ain't gotta worry." He whispered, running his thumb over the back of her dainty hand as his other hand gently cradled her lower back, "I've been doing this for a long time. We always back each other up, and we almost always come back unscathed."

He felt a quivering breath hit his chest, and he sighed, again bringing the girl in his embrace as close to him as he could. She felt so small in comparison to him, and so fragile... It felt kind of surreal to be holding her like this. He felt her reach up to cup his face, and she drew him down gently for a loving kiss. He could tell from the shuddering breath that she needed it, and as their lips met again, the scent of her arousal hit his nostrils once more. He loved it that she was already wanting to go again, considering he'd pretty much tired her out the first time.

"Round two?" He asked her with a gruff, breathy laugh, "Already?"

"You up for it?" She asked him, her lips brushing against his as she spoke.

That almost sounded like she was challenging him. Maybe she was. The arching of her eyebrow and the playful smile that had made its way onto her face told him that she was. Her eyes twinkled in the dim light of the room as a look of mischief crossed her pretty face, and Raphael couldn't help but take her up on it. She was practically begging for it. He could see it in her eyes, and he wasn't about to turn her down. Not when she was challenging him like that.

"Always, darlin'." He told her, meeting her lips again in a fiery kiss as he pushed her back against the pillows.

Moving his lips to her neck, he heard the broken moan that escaped her lips as their lower halves touched, which caused an infectious grin to break out onto his face. This girl was utterly amazing, and he was determined to enjoy as much of her as he could before he had to go out on patrol later that night.

* * *

Biting her lip in concentration, Amelia continued to draw the lovely facial features of the character she was designing. She'd decided to sit down and do some drawing to try and keep her mind occupied while the boys were out. Splinter was sitting next to her on the couch, watching a soap opera, which Amelia thought was strange. The last thing she expected Splinter to like was soap operas. He also liked sitcoms, and documentaries too, which often led to him getting some valued bonding time with Donatello, who would join him to watch the documentaries that he wanted to see.

"If you continue to worry this way, you will make yourself unwell, Amelia."

Splinter's voice was quiet and gentle as he spoke to the eighteen year old, who was continuing to work away at her drawing even though his words had alarmed her. Then, the wise rat leaned further back in his seat, folding his hands in his lap. The worry was causing her to make harsher, faster strokes on the pages of her sketchbook, and he could tell that she was drawing like that because she was getting more and more frustrated at Raphael's absence. It was to be expected, especially when they had just entered a relationship together.

"I can feel it radiating from you." He told her, briefly casting a glance her way, "My sons are strong warriors, and they are always careful. Leonardo watches out for them."

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter." Amelia replied, putting her pencil and sketchpad down on the coffee table in front of her, "It's just... If anything were to happen to any of them..."

"If you continue to think that way, you will never get any peace." Splinter replied, turning his attention back to the television, "They won't be back for several hours, and you cannot spend the rest of the night like this. It is getting late."

Amelia reached over to check the time on her phone. It was just after midnight, and she was exhausted, especially after the afternoon of languid and passionate sex that she'd had with Raphael. She let out a quiet sigh and ran a hand through her hair before leaning across and kissing Master Splinter on the cheek. The rat seemed to still at this, but she didn't miss the rather adorable smile that broke out onto his face when she pulled back.

"I'm going to head up for the night." She said quietly, gathering her sketchbook and stationery, "I'm gonna try and get some sleep. At least that'll pass the time."

"Goodnight, Amelia." Splinter said softly, watching her as she steadily got up from the sofa and headed for the stairs, "Sleep well."

"You too, Master Splinter." Amelia called back, "Goodnight."

As she got into the bedroom she shared with Raphael, Amelia closed the door, leaving it unlocked. She then put the sketchbook and stationery back in her bag, and got into the warm bed, trying to get comfortable against the pillows. It felt so _empty_ without Raphael in it, and it took her a while before she was able to find a comfortable position to sleep in, so in the end, she leaned over and turned off the light, hoping that the darkness would be able to help her get to sleep.

All she could think about was Raphael's absence, and that he was out on the surface now, where he was risking his life for people who would probably hurt him or exploit him because of his physical differences. He and his family meant everything to her, and if anything happened to them, she'd be devastated. No matter how hard she tried, the blonde couldn't stop worrying. And _that_ was when it hit her.

These boys and their father... They were her _world_ now. She actually didn't want to leave them and go back up to the surface. Because, while she had the freedom to be able to have any career, live wherever she wanted and pretty much do as she pleased, down here in the sewers, it was quiet. There were no asshole people to deal with, no bills to pay, no job to have to go to... It was a different kind of freedom, one that she hadn't experienced before. The thought of having to go back to living alone in her small apartment was just awful... She didn't even know if she'd be able to cope when she returned to the surface. This was the impact that this visit had on her life. She didn't want to leave.

As the realisation washed over the eighteen year old, her eyes began to burn with the onset of tears. She felt so confused and so conflicted. How could her view of her own life change so dramatically in just a few days? She genuinely didn't want to return to the surface again, because being with this family had given her so much joy that she couldn't bear the thought of being apart from them.

It took a couple of hours, but finally Amelia fell asleep. After what felt like only a few minutes of being asleep, she heard shuffling inside the room with her, and the sound of objects hitting the mattress that still lay on the floor, unmoved. Then she felt the sheets being pulled back as a familiar body slid into bed beside her, and her heart suddenly swelled with relief. She'd know the feeling of his body anywhere, and as she realised that he was home with her, safe and sound, she smiled sleepily, savouring the feeling of him against her again. .

"Raph?" She mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes before pressing further into the pillow as she lay on her stomach, "What time is it?"

"Five-thirty." Raphael replied, his voice gruff and low as his large fingers gently played with her messy honey-blonde hair, "I'm sorry I woke you... Go back to sleep, darlin'."

She then felt him settle behind her before he pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her head which caused her heart to swell even more. He was always so gentle with her, even though she knew that he had unbelievable strength in those big, warm arms of his. She'd missed him so much, and now she felt whole again as he held her tightly in his embrace. Even though sleep was taking over once more, Amelia placed her hand over his, squeezing gently as she wet her dry lips with her tongue.

"Are you and the others okay?"

"We're fine, babe." Raphael whispered, kissing her softly once again, "Now, go back to sleep."

"I love you." She whispered back, pressing closer to him, "I'm glad your safe."

"I love you, too." He answered her with a smile, feeling her relax in his arms as he nuzzled her hair, breathing her in.

"Night, Raph..." Her voice was barely even a whisper, it was so quiet.

Raphael grinned to himself. After numerous fights with small-time gangs, after stopping Purple Dragons from murdering two innocent teenage boys, and after chasing down three men who robbed a jewellery store, Raphael was pretty beat. The only thing he'd wanted to do after their patrol was to slide into bed next to his girlfriend and hold her. She kept him grounded, calm, and most of all, she made him feel loved. As he buried his face in her hair and listened to the rhythmic sound of her relaxed breathing, he let out a small whisper as she seemed to snuggle further into his arms.

"Night, angel."

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	12. Difficulty

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! So... I'm pleased to announce that I will actually, for once, be uploading a fic that is complete. However, I'm kind of sad that I completed the last chapter this morning, and there are only a few more before the story comes to an end. That doesn't mean that I won't write more _Ninja Turtles_ fics, or any more on this particular series, because I have just ordered the 2014 movie (I am _way_ more excited than I probably should be about it at my age), and I will probably do a movie!fic since I really enjoy putting my own characters into the storylines. I've got an awesome OC lined up for that, but anyway... As for this particular series, I'll be asking for your feedback in the last chapter about ideas that I have. Thanks for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **DaLadyofSouls:** Thanks so much for the continued reviews. It's amazing to know I have support with my writing! And yes, sexual harrassment sucks anyway, but especially at work! Talk about making a job even harder!

 **The Silvernote:** I'm actually reluctant to say how many chapters I'm writing hun, just because I don't want to disappoint you. You'll know when it's up because it's considerably shorter than my other chapters, as it's there to round of the story. Thanks for the continuous support and reviews! They mean the world to me, and I hope the news in the A/N above cheers you up :)

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Twelve: Difficulty }**

On the Tuesday morning, as the boys were leaving the dojo following an exhausting training session, Raphael stayed behind to talk to Master Splinter.

Because of recent events involving stalker-like behaviour from Amelia's co-worker, Raphael's priority was teaching her how to defend herself. Ethan's needy text messages had stopped for now, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to get to Amelia physically when she went topside again. Plus, living in a city like New York, Raphael figured that teaching Amelia the art of Ninjitsu would give her a skill that would enable her to defend herself effectively against any kind of threat. Splinter was taken aback by his son's request, but he knew why Raphael wished to teach Amelia himself.

"If you are to teach her, Raphael, you must learn to separate your relationships. While you are in a romantic relationship with her, you will also be her sensei." Splinter said quietly, "You will have a big responsibility, and you both need to make sure that you leave your student-teacher relationship in the dojo, and that you leave your romantic relationship outside of the dojo."

Raphael nodded as the two of them sat down on the dojo floor. It was clear that Splinter had plenty of information to pass onto him, so he prepared himself for a long talk. Not that he minded that much anyway. It was always nice to get some one-on-one time with his dad, considering he had to share Splinter's attention with three brothers all the time.

"Your duty is to ensure that Amelia understands everything that you teach her." The rat continued, his expression serious and stern, "Show her how to improve. Do not make things too challenging for her too quickly, and do not try to teach her too much at once. Start with the basics."

"You still got your old book, Sensei?" Raphael asked, "It's kinda hard for me to remember the bare bones, you know?"

"Yes, and I shall happily leave it in your care." Splinter replied, "One of the best things to teach her first would probably be how to clear her mind. She will learn much better if she is not focusing her attention on her worries and stresses. You need to speak with her about this, in detail, just so that she knows what to expect."

"Yes, Sensei." Raphael answered, nodding eagerly.

"I am sure you will do well, my son." Splinter said quietly, "Go to her. I will find the book for you."

"Thanks." Raphael replied softly, bowing to his father before to head out of the dojo, "I'll make you proud, Dad..."

Splinter met eyes with his boy again, and his heart clenched in his chest. That was all that Raphael ever wanted to do, because he sometimes felt like he was inferior to his brothers, especially Leonardo. Splinter was _always_ proud of Raphael, just as he was proud of all his sons, no matter what they believed. He smiled at his boy, who gave him a crooked smile in return as he moved his toothpick from one side of his mouth the the other.

"I know you will, Raphael."

Leaving the dojo, Raphael walked into the big open space of the main area of the lair to look for Amelia. It didn't take him long to find her, lounged on the sofa with Michelangelo rubbing her feet, and in her hands she held a hot cup of what Raphael assumed was coffee, since that was her favourite hot drink. Leonardo sat nearby on a chair they had that was made out of old pizza boxes, and he was reading a book while occasionally glancing over to Michelangelo and Amelia.

"Raph should be the one rubbing your feet." Michelangelo commented, his voice holding a whining tone, "He _is_ your boyfriend after all."

"Raph does more for me than you understand." Amelia chuckled, "Besides, _you're_ my big brother. You need to take care of me too."

She happened to turn her head in Raphael's direction, and no-one missed the smile that appeared on her face when she saw him walking over to them. Warmly, she reached out over the back of the couch to him, and as he stepped over to her, he gently took her hand, allowing her to pull his to her lips to kiss it. This girl had turned him kind of soft, but he didn't care. She meant the damn world to him, and he'd do anything in his power to make her happy.

"Hey." She said softly, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Raphael replied with a grin, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Amelia said with a grin, lifting her legs off of Michelangelo before getting off the couch to follow Raphael as he headed for the stairs.

She followed him quietly into his room and closed the door behind them, warily eyeing Raphael as he walked over to his bed and sat down. He beckoned for her to join him, and as she sat beside him, he took her spare hand, watching as she took a sip of coffee. She started to feel nervous... What if something was wrong? What if things weren't working out between them? The thought of that was just too much to handle...

"I've just been talking to Master Splinter." Raphael said quietly, squeezing her hand as worry crossed over her pale face, "Because of the current situation with work... I think that it would be a good idea if I taught you how to defend yourself. So, Master Splinter has given me permission to teach you Ninjitsu."

A look of relief washed over her face for a second, and then Raphael saw the flirtatious look return to those lovely blue eyes of hers. The thought of him teaching her and being in charge of her was kind of a turn on for her. She was a little apprehensive, but at the same time she wanted to learn something new. Most of all, she was thanking every God that would listen, since her head had started to fill with horrid ideas about what his conversation with Splinter had been about.

"So, you'll be my sensei?" She asked him with a grin, trying to block out the dirty images that were imprinting themselves in her head.

"Yeah." Raphael answered her, "If you wanna learn..."

"Of course! I'd be honoured!" Amelia breathed, leaning across and hugging him with one arm, keeping her cup of coffee cradled between them so that she didn't spill it, "Thank you so much! Oh! When can we start?"

"Look, I know you're eager..." Raphael laughed, rubbing her arms gently as they pulled apart, "But, I gotta get Master Splinter's book from him. It'll just help me teach you the bare basics first. There's some stuff we need to talk about before we do anything else, too."

"Okay..." Amelia said softly, "Like what?"

"Well... As your Sensei, you need to do exactly as I ask of you when we're in training." Raphael answered her, taking a deep breath, "We have to leave our relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend outside of the dojo, and we have to leave our student-teacher relationship inside the dojo. So, if we have any conflict inside the dojo, it stays there. We can't let it interfere with our personal relationship."

"Wow... This sounds kinda serious..." Amelia said as the smile disappeared from her face, "Maybe it would be better for someone else to teach me..."

It wasn't that she didn't want Raphael to teach her... It was just that she didn't want their relationship to be jeopardised by any arguments had in training. She wouldn't be causing any arguments (at least not intentionally), but she knew that Raphael's temper sometimes got the better of him, and she just didn't want him to feel awkward or under pressure because of their relationship.

"No." Raphael said, irritated, "I'm not letting anyone else do it."

Amelia gazed at him with confusion as he paused for a moment, trying to find the right way to explain it to her. He wasn't prepared to stand back and let someone teach his girlfriend how to defend herself, and he certainly wasn't going to let training interfere with their relationship. He was more damn mature than that.

"Leo would just drain the happiness from your soul, Donnie would get too technical about it, and Mikey's just not mature enough to take on that kind of task." He explained with a sigh, looking away from her as his voice grew deeper, "You're _my_ responsibility. You're in _my_ care when you're down here and I want to make sure that _I_ can show you how to take care of yourself when you're topside, 'cause I can't bear the thought of you being up there, unable to defend yourself when I can't be there to protect you. I love you so fucking much, and if something were to happen..."

He fell quiet, but his outburst appeared to have stunned his girlfriend, who was now sitting there with a shocked look on her face and with tears in her eyes. She had no idea that this meant so much to him; that he thought her very safety, and her life was in his hands. What kind of weight was he carrying on his shoulders? Guilt spread through her like a raging inferno, and before she could stop herself, she reached out and took his hand in her own tenderly, placing her cup of coffee on the floor and out of the way. She then enveloped him in her arms and cupped the back of his head, holding him in place so that she could try to make him feel better.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, sniffling as she tried to blink away the tears, "I didn't realise that it was so important to you... I just don't want our relationship to become strained, that's all."

"It won't, if we don't let it." Raphael said quietly, grimacing as a tear escaped and slid down her face.

The guilt almost immediately started to eat away at him as he saw how upset she was. How was he going to be able to teach her if he couldn't control his temper? He felt so much love for this girl and he was trying to show her that, but he hadn't intended to go about it in that way. The sight of her in tears was fucking unbearable, and the apology couldn't come out of his mouth quick enough.

"I didn't mean to lose it like that." He told her, reaching up with a large finger to wipe away the tear, "I'm sorry. I just love you too much to let anyone else do this. I feel like it's my job as your boyfriend to make sure you're safe, and since I can't be with you on the surface..."

"You don't need to explain..." Amelia replied with a deep breath, wiping at her eyes, "You haven't upset me. I'm upset with myself... I didn't realise you felt so strongly about this, or about me..."

"Listen, if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do." Raphael answered her, drawing her closer to kiss her on the forehead, "You are literally _the_ best thing that has ever happened to me. And it would _kill_ me if I lost you, or you got hurt... I just want to keep you as safe as I can. That's why I need to be the one to teach you."

Amelia nodded in response and went to hug him again, closing her eyes at the feeling of his arms around her. He made her feel safe enough as it was, but she knew he was right. He couldn't walk the streets with her, and if it made him feel better, she'd do whatever he asked.

"I'll show you Master Splinter's book later." He said softly, as they pulled apart, "Then you can look at what you're getting into."

"Sure..." Amelia said sweetly, leaning forward and pressing her lips to Raphael's gently, "I love you too, by the way."

* * *

"Raph... Are you sure you want to do this?"

Raphael rolled his eyes as Leonardo stood before him and Master Splinter, arms folded and expression one of concern. Splinter remained silent, but he handed the book across to Raphael, squeezed his son's shoulder gently in reassurance, and then left the dojo for the brothers to discuss this in private. When the door to the dojo was closed, Raphael turned back to look at Leonardo with a blank expression, not willing to give any kind of feeling away to his older brother.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because teaching is a big undertaking." Leonardo replied, his tone gentle, almost as though he was treading on eggshells, "Especially when you're teaching your own girlfriend. Your emotional attachment to her might..."

"Might what?" Raphael interrupted as his control on his temper started to slip, "We're both mature enough to leave any disagreements in here. She knows that we have to separate ourselves from our relationship once we're in training."

"Just because she knows that you have to, it doesn't mean she'll be able to." Leonardo said quietly, "I'm not saying you're not capable, Raph. I'm just asking if you'd rather one of us do it so that your relationship with Amelia isn't compromised. That's all."

"Amelia is _my_ responsibility." Raphael answered angrily, "I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I'm the one who's supposed to take care of her and keep her safe, so that's what I'm gonna do. Thanks for your concern, Leo, but you've got nothing to worry about."

After a moment of quiet, Leonardo nodded and took in a deep breath, accepting that this was an argument he wasn't going to win. He went to move past Raphael to leave the dojo, but he stopped in his tracks, and he placed his hand on the red-clad turtle's shoulder and squeezed, just like Splinter had done only moments before.

"If you need any help, you know where I am." The blue banded turtle said softly, earning a nod from Raphael before he took his leave.

While his brother was hotheaded and sometimes unpredictable, Leonardo knew that he'd made a commitment to Amelia, one that went far deeper than just teaching her Ninjitsu, so he knew there was no point arguing with him. When he reached the main area of the lair, he was met with Amelia who was approaching him with a cup of tea held in her dainty hands. Noticing the sad look on his face, she reached out to rub his arm gently, handing him the cup.

"You look like you need it." She said softly, frowning at him softly, "Is everything okay, Leo?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Leonardo muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he took the tea from her, "Thank you. So... Will you be alright later...? When we take you back, I mean."

"I'll be okay." Amelia replied, clearing her throat and swallowing thickly, "I'll miss you guys like crazy. It's like I've been part of a wonderful, loving family for the first time in years, and I know I've only stayed with you all for a few days, but... I've loved every second of it. I almost don't want to go back."

"Listen... You're always welcome here." Leonardo replied quietly, "I know that I didn't seem overly friendly at first, but we all consider you to be part of the family now. You really are like a little sister to me."

With a loving smile, Amelia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Leonardo, embracing him in a tight hug. Leonardo put his free arm around her in return, smiling to himself as she kissed his cheek. He was so happy that Raphael had brought Amelia into their lives, because somehow, she managed to bring joy to all of them, not just Raphael. She had this calming, soothing energy about her that even seemed to have had a rather profound effect on all of them, and Leonardo wasn't sure that any of them would want her to go home.

As they let go, the blue-clad turtle gave her a warm smile and briefly rubbed her arm in a soothing manner, before he headed over to see what Donatello was doing in his lab. Amelia stood for a moment, trying to take in what Leonardo had just said to her, when heard the door to the dojo close and she was met with the sight of Raphael, who had a big grin on his face as he approached her. Without hesitation, she moved over to him and wrapped herself up in his arms, trying not to get too upset at the thought of going back to the surface. She didn't want to lose it in front of him.

For a moment, Raphael was confused, but his arms instinctively encircled the eighteen year old, who was pressing hard into his plastron, as though desperate for comfort. He rearranged the book in his hand so that the edges weren't digging into her skin, before he cautiously leaned down and pressed his lips to her head. He had no idea what was going on with her, but it scared the hell out of him. She was practically shaking.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, rubbing soothing lines up and down her back.

"I just needed to hold you." She answered him, biting her lip, "I feel better when I hold you."

That, of course, was a lie. She didn't want to go back to her apartment on the surface to be alone again. While she used to love living alone, now, the very thought of going back to an empty home made her want to burst into tears. The thought of being back in that big building with no friends nearby was just horrid. She didn't want to say that she felt like this because she knew that she had responsibilities on the surface. She had a home to run, bills to pay, a job to go to... She couldn't just leave it all behind. Not yet, anyway. She didn't even know if Raphael was as emotionally invested in her as she was in him.

She was ready to completely commit to him and leave the surface world behind. If he asked her, she'd accept without question, because as far as she was concerned, she had no life on the surface any more. The only real freedom she'd ever experienced in her life was down here with these beautiful boys and their wonderful father. _They_ were her life now.

"Babe, you're making me nervous." Raphael's voice shook her from her thoughts as his free hand moved to the back of her hair, "What's going on? You gotta talk to me..."

"I..." Amelia took a deep breath, unable to stop the truth from escaping her full lips, "I don't want to go home."

Raphael's expression softened as he looked at her with those lovely green eyes of his, and he kissed her head again, keeping her held against his plastron. He didn't want her to go either, but he knew she had too many responsibilities on the surface that she couldn't give up right now. His primary concern was Ethan Black, since Amelia would be topside without Raphael there to protect her, and completely at Ethan's mercy. That creep could do anything he wanted to her. He knew where she lived, he had her phone number, and they worked together. It wasn't like she could just avoid him when he had that kind of information on her.

"I don't want you to go, either." The turtle whispered, holding her tighter, "But, you know I'll see you again soon, and I know that when I talk to Master Splinter about it, he'll let you stay with us again. You've got a life up there, Amelia. You can't just give that up."

"I know." She answered, moving back to look at his face, "I just don't wanna be alone up there."

"I'll come and see you every night, if that's what it takes to make you feel better." He said quietly, feeling relieved at the smile that appeared on Amelia's pale face.

"I'd like that." Amelia replied softly, taking Raphael's hand in her own as she gazed up at him through her eyelashes, "You wanna come and help me pack my stuff?"

The look in her eyes told Raphael exactly what she meant by that. If he wasn't going to have the chance to do this again for a while, he wasn't turning it down now. So, he tightened his grip on her hand and he took her up the stairs to his room, making sure to lock the door behind him so that their ' _packing_ ' could go uninterrupted.

* * *

The goodbye had been horrendous. As soon as Raphael had disappeared from her window, Amelia had burst into tears as though it was the last time she'd ever see him. She'd looked around her apartment, which was eerily quiet, and she'd wanted nothing more than to just go back underground. She knew, though, that separation was healthy in a relationship, and that she would get over this terrible onset of anxiety in no time.

As she walked down the crowded streets of horribly normal people the next morning, Amelia found herself wanting to just jump into the nearest manhole and go back to her unique family. She could see her place of work getting closer and closer, and her stomach was knotting so badly that she wanted to throw up. It was taking everything she had to keep walking towards it, because even though she knew Ethan wasn't there, her phone was constantly vibrating with messages from him. The only reason she hadn't blocked his number was because she wanted her boss to see that she wasn't making this up, but it was getting to the point where Amelia was ready to breakdown with frustration. It had been relentless since the previous evening, and he _still_ hadn't stopped.

When she entered the store, she was met with a rather worried looking Lillian Myers, who brushed a lock of her short, silver hair behind her ear as she walked over to her young employee, stretching her arms out in front of her as though opening them for a hug. Amelia felt rather stunned, but she kept walking forward anyway, trying to brace herself for the difficult conversation she was about to have with her boss.

"Amelia..." The older woman breathed, wrapping her arms around the girl, "Are you alright? You don't look well at all..."

 _'Gee! Thanks, Lil!'_ Amelia thought as she half-heartedly hugged the woman back.

The lack of sleep, the worrying about all of this stalker-like behaviour with Ethan, and the absence of her new, unusual family, all contributed to her pale face, dark eyes and glum expression. She felt genuinely ill, like the stress was causing her body to rebel against her. Right now, her life felt like it sucked, and the only place she wanted to be in that moment was in the turtles' home, with them and their father.

"I know you must be stressed considering all of this inappropriate behaviour from Ethan." Lillian told her sadly, "He says he hasn't done anything wrong, but if I'm honest, I don't believe him... I do have to investigate your complaint properly though, so I'll need to see the messages."

Amelia handed the woman her cell phone without so much as a word, and as it sat in Lillian's hand, the device vibrated three times as message after message came up on the screen. The older woman was shocked, and she cast another worried glance at her employee. This wasn't even the half of it, yet Lillian looked as though this was the worst thing she'd ever come across.

"Has it been like this all weekend?" She asked, stunned as she looked from the girl, to her phone and back again.

"On and off." Amelia replied quietly, clearing her throat, "No threats... Just constant nagging and begging. I told him politely that I have a boyfriend and that I'm not interested in him, but he just won't lay off."

"I see." Lillian replied, looking even more shocked when more messages came through, "You've been ignoring him, then?"

"Since I told him I was unavailable." Amelia said with a nod, "I don't know what to do."

"My advice is to talk to the police and show them the messages." Lillian said with a huff of surprise, "This has gone well past the point of being plain old harassment. This is stalking. What has your boyfriend said about this?"

"He thinks I should talk to the police, too." Amelia replied quietly, fighting against the lump that was building in her throat, "I don't feel safe in my own apartment, Lillian... Ethan knows where I live, and my boyfriend lives across town... He can't just come and stay with me whenever, you know?"

That wasn't entirely true, but she couldn't exactly say that her boyfriend was a mutated turtle who lived in the sewers, could she? He did live quite far away and he wasn't able to stay with her, so at least that part was true.

"I understand." Lillian said with a sincere nod, clearing her throat, "You really don't look well at all, sweetheart. I can get my husband to cover for you for the rest of the week. It'll give me a chance to deal with Ethan, and I promise that I'll pay you for the whole week."

"Oh, Lillian..." Amelia breathed, feeling the guilt settle in to the pit of her chest, "I couldn't possibly..."

"Trust me, honey, you need the rest." Lillian said sternly, "Call your boyfriend, have him stay with you for the week, or go to his place. Have him look after you for a while until you get your head straight. And make sure you go to the cops about this."

She handed the phone back to the girl and then gave her another hug, embracing her in an almost motherly way. And at that, Amelia just couldn't hold on any more. She couldn't help it. Everything just became too much and she burst into tears right in the older woman's arms. Lillian, bless her heart, rocked Amelia in her embrace and hushed her like a mother would do with a crying child.

"Please, go home, and rest." Lillian said quietly, letting her go, "You'll really lose the plot if you don't. It's fine."

"Thank you." Amelia breathed, sniffling and wiping her eyes with a gloved hand, "I'll call you at the weekend."

"Sure." Lillian replied with a warm smile, "I'll see you later, Amelia. Don't worry about Ethan. I'll deal with him. And let me know when you're home safe."

Amelia just nodded and turned on her heel, heading back out of the book store to walk home as fast as she could. She took her T-Phone out of her pocket and quickly dialled Raphael's number before bringing it to her ear, concealing it under her hair the best that she could so that other people didn't see the strange device. When she heard Raphael's groggy voice answer, it was enough to just bring her to tears again. She just couldn't cope any more, and she'd never experienced an emotional meltdown like this one before.

" _Amelia? Baby, is that you?"_ His voice was full of concern when the first sob escaped her full lips, thick tears streaming down her pale face, _"Where are you, darlin'? What's wrong?"_

"I need to see you..." She whispered, trying to control the upset, "It's all too much right now... I can't cope..."

" _I'll see you in the alleyway next to your building, okay?"_ Raphael replied gruffly as the sound of rustling, which Amelia assumed was him getting out of bed, hit her ears, _"I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Thank you." Amelia breathed, letting out another sob, "I love you."

There was silence for a moment before Raphael managed to answer, his own voice sounding hoarse and strange as though he had something stuck in his throat.

" _I love you too, sweetheart. I'll see you soon."_

With that, the line went dead, and Amelia quickly did her best to conceal the phone as she put it back in her bag. The closer she got to home, the more upset she became, and as the need to see Raphael grew more and more intense, the blonde broke into a run, desperate to see him as soon as she possibly could.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	13. Danger

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! So, here's chapter thirteen! I hope you enjoy it! I've been through a few times and edited it in places, because it just didn't feel well written enough, but I've improved it to the best of my ability. So, I have the 2014 _Ninja Turtles_ movie to enjoy tomorrow, and I already have an idea for an OC for a story following the events of the movie. I wanted to draw her but I'm still working on my art skills, and I just can't seem to be able to get so much as the face shape right, so I've left it alone for now. I hope to maybe be able to draw and paint all of my OCs one day. Anyway, this chapter's a little shorter than the others, but don't worry, we aren't at the end just yet! :)

 **The Silvernote:** I'm so grateful for you continued support! It's really pushed me to make this fic the best it can be. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Happy reading!

xxxxxxxxxx

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Thirteen: Danger }**

It had been a struggle, but thankfully, Raphael had been able to get Amelia into the sewers without her being seen.

He'd never seen her like this before. She was pale, shaking uncontrollably, crying, and she was so out of it that she could barely stand up. It was like she was in some kind of shock, and Raphael had no idea what to do for her. He steadily walked with her to the lair, and to his horror, as they stepped inside, her knees buckled and she fell at his feet, barely able to breathe.

"Oh, my God! Baby-doll!" Michelangelo sounded frantic as he jumped up from the couch, before turning on his heel to go and find his older brother, "Donnie!"

Raphael grabbed a hold of Amelia and got her on her feet before he steered her urgently towards the couch. She was panicking now, and her breathing had become erratic and uncontrollable. He sat her down on the couch and knelt in front of her, not knowing what else to do. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her to get her attention, because she was completely out of it and she wasn't able to focus on anything but the fact that she couldn't breathe properly. Raphael was trying not to panic, even though he was scared to death, because panicking would only make her worse, and that was the last thing she needed.

"First part of your training, Amelia..." He told her in a stern, commanding tone as he slipped her bag over her shoulder and placed it on the floor, "Breathe with me."

He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and then blew the air out through his mouth, taking her chin in his fingers gently to keep her head up. He continued to breathe calmly and in a controlled manner, keeping his eyes on hers as he unfastened the top button of her coat and loosened her scarf to help her feel like the air was actually getting to her lungs. She was trying to copy him, but it wasn't easy for her, and as she latched onto his shoulders, he cupped her face gently with his large hands.

"Come on, sweetheart.." He soothed her, "Breathe with me. Focus on my breathing."

He heard his brothers hurrying back into the room, and he moved hand his left hand from Amelia's face, and held it out to stop them coming any closer. Amelia's head turned away from him so that she could see what he was doing, but he held onto her face again and pulled her straight back, gently. He was trying to teach her how to calm herself in stressful situations, which was something that all of the boys had learned to do when they first started training to be ninjas. It would help her in a ton of every day situations, never mind life threatening ones. The others watched, absolutely stunned as Raphael ran his left hand through his girlfriend's hair, which was damp with sweat, and spoke to her again, in the same, authoritative tone that he'd used just seconds ago.

"Breathe with me. Nice and slow." He said, continuing to breathe in the same way as he had been before, by inhaling deeply through his nostrils and blowing out through his mouth.

She was getting there, but he could see that it was very hard for her. She was still sobbing as she was blowing the air out of her lungs, but as the turtle placed his hand on her lower back and started rubbing slow circles into it, she seemed to calm down a little more, which made the breathing technique easier for her. Eventually, after about five minutes, Amelia was no longer sobbing, and she was breathing normally again. She was still shaking uncontrollably and she was now very tired and weak, but at least she wasn't hysterical.

"Mikey, would you get Amelia something to drink?" Raphael asked over her shoulder, noticing his younger brother immediately turn to go and do as he'd asked, "Do you want me to bring her to the lab, Donnie?"

"Y-Yeah." Donatello answered, shaking the look of astonishment from his face before he headed back into his lab.

Raphael steadily scooped Amelia up in his arms and carried her towards the lab, keeping her held close to him. The purple-clad turtle was still looking rather amazed as Raphael put her on the medical bed that had been recently installed. He stepped forward and looked Amelia over, reaching forward gingerly to start unfastening her coat.

"Is she in shock?" Raphael asked, now looking a lot more nervous than he had a few minutes ago.

His younger brother didn't answer immediately, because he was trying to help Amelia out of her coat and other accessories so that he could check her pulse properly. He had a feeling that she'd be rather hot after the workout that she'd just put her body through with her near-panic attack, and thankfully, Raphael moved to give him a hand as Amelia wasn't really able to help herself at that time.

"I think so... It's probably the stress of the past few days." The younger turtle muttered, looking up at his older brother with wonder in his eyes, "That was amazing out there, by the way. You'll make a great teacher."

Before Raphael could respond, he felt a shaking hand grab a hold of his, and he saw Amelia trying to lean towards him. He crouched on the floor near the bed and kept a hold of her hand before reaching up to cup her face tenderly in his free hand.

"What's going on, babe?" He asked her quietly as Michelangelo came in with Leonardo in tow, a cup of tea held in the youngest turtle's hands, "What happened?"

"It's too much for me..." She whispered, her exhaustion clear in the sagging of her shoulders as he body still shook, "Up there..."

"Topside?" Leonardo asked her gently as he moved to her right side.

She nodded, taking the tea from Michelangelo, nursing it in trembling hands. Raphael started to rub soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, and Donatello brought Amelia a thin blanket from one of his many storage lockers, before wrapping it around her shoulders.

"I hate being alone up there..." She whispered, taking a sip of the tea, "And Ethan won't leave me alone."

Tears ran down her cheeks again as she let out a shaky sigh, and she quickly brought her hand up to wipe the falling droplets away. The turtles were devastated for her. They had no idea that she would react this way to being back on the surface again. Without them, they supposed, she must've felt vulnerable, as though anyone and everyone could get to her and hurt her if they wanted to.

"Down here, I'm free from all the pressures of life up there." She continued, feeling the shakes steadily subsiding, "I don't have to try and fit in down here, I don't have to conform like human society wants me to. Down here, I don't have to deal with horrible people, and I don't feel so alone... It's like I don't belong up there, and it's taken me coming down here, and living with you guys to realise that."

She sighed, taking another sip of the tea as her shaking then became worse. More tears fell from her eyes, and she shook her head, as though angry with herself for getting upset. Raphael got back to his feet and pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his plastron as Leonardo carefully reached out and took the girl's spare hand.

"Then, there's the issue with Ethan. He just won't stop calling and texting me now..." She breathed, wiping furiously at her eyes again as she moved out of Raphael's arms to take another drink of her tea, "I need to go to the police at some point soon..."

"If you want to go tonight, we can go with you." Leonardo offered quietly, "We'll have to wait on the rooftops for you, but we can still make sure you get there and back safely."

"That'd be really helpful." Amelia breathed, wiping her eyes again, "Thank you. And I'm sorry for having a meltdown like this. It's so unlike me to lose control that way."

"Don't be sorry." Donatello replied with a shake of his head, "We didn't realise how much stress you were under. It's better to get everything off your chest, rather than keep suffering on your own like you have been."

"Are you okay?" Raphael asked her quietly, "Do you need to rest?"

"Thanks to you, I'm much better." Amelia said, sniffling as she clutched at the cup of tea in her hands, meeting eyes with Michelangelo, who still looked terrified, "I'm sorry I scared you, Mikey."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Amelia." Michelangelo said with relief, putting an arm around her carefully before pulling her closer to him, "Do you want something to eat?"

"No, thank you." Amelia said quietly, moving to get off the bed.

She was clearly struggling, as her face was knotted into a frown and she was biting her lip, almost as though the effort was taking its toll on her. She must've been exhausted after the emotional ordeal she'd just been through.

"Whoa... Take it easy." Raphael rushed forward and carefully lifted her up into his arms again, being careful to make sure she didn't spill her tea everywhere, "You really should eat something... You'll have used up a lot of energy to overcome that panic attack."

"There's some pizza in the fridge, if you want me to heat it up?" Michelangelo offered, hovering around Amelia with concern, "We've got plain old cheese pizza, or pepperoni. You could have a slice of both if you want."

"A slice of both would be great." Amelia replied with a smile, sighing as Raphael adjusted her in his arms, "Thanks, Mikey."

"Come on." Leonardo said, steering Michelangelo out of the lab, "I'll give you a hand."

"It's two slices of pizza, dude." Michelangelo said, confused.

"Yeah, but I bet Amelia could use another cup of tea." Leonardo replied, finally getting Michelangelo out of the way.

Donatello followed Raphael as he headed towards the couch with Amelia in his arms, and as the red-clad turtle gently set her down on the cushioned sofa, the younger turtle took the opportunity to check her over again. She was still shaking, but it wasn't as bad as it had been, and as he put her bag, coat and accessories down next to her on the couch, he was feeling confident that she'd be back to her old self in no time. Once she'd eaten, of course.

"I'm fine now, Donnie. Really." She said softly, smiling at him as she pulled the blanket around herself, "Thank you."

Donatello nodded and moved away from the couch, patting Raphael's arm on the way past as the older turtle thanked him. He retreated to the sanctuary of his lab, and closed the door behind him. Raphael picked up Amelia's belongings and moved them to the coffee table so that he could sit next to her, and he carefully put his arm around her, which allowed her to lean into his embrace.

"I'm tired." She muttered, rubbing a hand across her forehead as she cradled her almost empty cup in her hands.

"Do you wanna go to bed after you've eaten?" Raphael asked her quietly.

"No... I just want to be with you for a while." Amelia whispered, sighing as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her hair, "Thank you for coming to get me. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"It's what I'm here for." Raphael answered her, stroking her arm gently with his thumb, "You know, being your boyfriend and all, I'm supposed to be there to take care of you at times like this. I just wish I'd known that you'd take it so hard... Being back up there, I mean."

"I sobbed my heart out when you left me last night." Amelia admitted, blushing as though she was ashamed of herself, "My place seemed so _empty_. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't stop crying... I was a mess. But, then this morning came, and I tried to embrace it because I know that separation is healthy for a relationship. Then, I met with my boss, and it just all piled on top of me... I had a complete meltdown, and then I ended up here, scaring you guys to death."

"Why do you sound like you're blaming yourself?" Raphael asked, turning her so that she was looking at him, "You can't help how you feel, Amelia... And as for the work issue, that ain't your fault either. It's that _creep_ who you work with. He's the one whose gotten you this worked up."

Amelia remained silent, and her gaze fell to her lap, where she was wringing her hands anxiously. She removed the blanket from her shoulders, since it was starting to annoy her, and she went back to Raphael's embrace, not saying another word. Raphael ran his thumb over the smooth cotton of her long-sleeved top and he sighed, pulling her in tighter.

"Here, Amelia..." Leonardo's voice snapped the couple from their thoughts, as he presented her with another cup of tea, his eyes kind as he handed her to drink, "Be careful, it's hot."

"Thank you." Amelia replied, taking it from him and placing it on the coffee table, "I'm sorry, Leo..."

"Stop apologising." Leonardo replied quietly, "We're just relieved that you're okay, little sis... That's all that we care about right now."

He leaned down and pressed his head to hers, cupping the back of her head in a brotherly fashion. He stood up after a moment before heading towards the dojo, no doubt in search of Master Splinter. Amelia sat forward on the couch and leaned towards the coffee table, resting her elbows on her knees before bringing her hands up, combing them into her hair.

Raphael looked at his girlfriend, trying to swallow down the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat. She was a wreck, and there was nothing he could about it. He was hurting so much for her, but he didn't know how to fix it and it had to be the worst feeling he'd ever experienced. Closing eyes, he ran a hand over his face, before leaning forward and placing his hand gently on her back, willing the lump in his throat to go away.

If he couldn't fix it, the least he could do was try and comfort her.

* * *

Amelia had been talking to the police for almost an hour. Four sets of eyes watched anxiously from the rooftop across the street, waiting for her to emerge from the building so that they could take her home. Raphael was so tense that his brothers were actually treading on eggshells with him, rather than being their usual selves. He was so close to blowing his top that it wasn't worth making any kind of joke that could upset him. Leonardo's eyes were trained on the door of the building opposite, while Donatello began to scour the area to make sure there wasn't anyone about who could pose a threat to themselves or Amelia. His headgear was great for that sort of thing, especially with its thermal imaging capabilities.

Michelangelo was almost as tense as Raphael. It was quite unusual to see the youngest turtle looking so serious, but the others knew that Amelia had brought a joy to his life that he hadn't felt before. She was incredibly special to all of them, and if anything happened to her, they'd all be devastated.

Finally, Amelia emerged from the building, and she headed across the street to the alley at the side of the opposite building where the turtles were waiting. Just as the boys were climbing down, they heard Amelia's cell phone bleep with the sound of a text message coming through. They got to the bottom of the building to find a very anxious looking Amelia, who was holding her phone in a shaking hand.

"What is it?" Raphael asked her, taking the phone out of her hand to read the message that had appeared on the screen.

It read: _'I can see you.'_

Growling, Raphael handed the phone to Leonardo, and as he and his brothers read the message, they all looked between one another worriedly. Before Leonardo could even speak, Raphael's voice cut through the night air, startling his girlfriend.

"She's coming home with us." He growled, possessively pulling her into his arms, "We take her back to her place, she can get her stuff, and she's coming with us. I'm not leaving her up here on her own."

"I agree." Leonardo said quietly, handing the cell phone back to Amelia, who took it with trembling fingers, "It's not safe for her to be up here. We'll go through the tunnels, though. Let's avoid the roofs tonight. Lead the way, Raph."

Slightly shocked that Leonardo had agreed with him so quickly, Raphael took a moment before he began to move. He opened up the manhole cover in the alleyway that they were in, and he took Amelia into his arms before he jumped into the sewers with her. He put her down when he reached the underground, and pulled her into his side protectively as the others joined them. There was no way on this earth that he was going to allow her to stay topside when she was clearly in danger, and he was incredibly grateful that Leonardo had agreed with him on the subject. The only thing he wanted was for Amelia to safe, and he was going to everything in his power to ensure that she was.

Leonardo set the manhole cover back in place, and when he joined his brothers, he gave a nod to Raphael, who put Amelia on his shell with very little effort, and set off running into the tunnels with his brothers in tow. It didn't take long for them to reach the alleyway by her apartment, and while Raphael followed Amelia upstairs, the others waited in the darkness of the alleyway for them to return, looking out for any sign of danger.

Raphael watched his girlfriend rush through her apartment, throwing things into the duffel bag that she'd used over her weekend with them,.and he could practically feel the panic radiating from her as she flew around, grabbing everything she'd need for the next few days. He took a hold of her arm as she started to run past him, and he made sure that she stopped for a moment so that she could get herself back in control again.

"Calm down." He told her softly, "Nothing's gonna happen to you while I'm here, alright?"

She nodded, taking a moment to get calm and collected again. When Raphael was satisfied that she was in control, he let her go to continue her packing. It was going to be a long night for her. That much was obvious, considering the fact that she was worried sick about this situation with her co-worker. He'd sent her a text like that, knowing that it would probably frighten the life out of her, and that really boiled Raphael's blood, because it spoke volumes about what Ethan was like. Raphael didn't want that son of a bitch anywhere near his girlfriend.

"I'm ready."

Amelia's words brought Raphael out of his thoughts, and he offered her a smile, taking the bag from her before exiting through the living room window, which he closed behind him. Amelia then left the apartment building in a rush, and headed towards the group who were waiting by the manhole cover. They wasted no time in getting her underground, and away from the potential danger lurking about on the surface.

"He might have followed me..." Amelia whispered as they walked through the tunnels towards the lair, "He might have followed _us_. What if he knows about you...? If he has a picture..."

"Stop worrying." Raphael said, sounding harsher than he meant to, "You're gonna make yourself sick, babe. You're perfectly safe with us. He's not gonna be able to put a finger on you."

"Exactly." Donatello agreed, "He'd have to get through us first."

"All of us." Leonardo added, putting a hand on the eighteen year old's shoulder.

"Even Master Splinter." Michelangelo laughed, walking in front of the others, "So, there. Stop worrying. If he has a picture of us, people will just think it's fake anyway."

The brothers started to joke amongst themselves as they headed into the lair again, and as Amelia followed them inside, she found that her anxiety was slowly starting to ease. While the threat was still very prominent in her head, Amelia knew that no-one could hurt her down there. Not only was this underworld their own secret, but, Raphael wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her, even if someone did find them.

Seeing how tired his girlfriend was, Raphael approached with her bag still over his shoulder, took her hand and then began to lead her up the stairs to his room. Hopefully, she'd be able to sleep that night.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	14. Falling Apart

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, again! So, we're not too far from the ending now. I watched the 2014 movie today, and I really did enjoy it, despite the lack of depth and the questionable acting from some of the cast, it was pretty awesome. Anyway, here's chapter fourteen. I hope you all enjoy it! And thank you for sticking with through this story. It's been amazing.

 **DaLadyofSouls:** Thanks for the review! I didn't really feel like I could improve that chapter any more than I did, but I'm glad it fit in with the panicky mood of the characters. You may have to wait a little longer to find out if there will be a beat down or not. :)

 **The Silvernote:** Don't worry about Ethan. I have plans for him. Thanks so much for the continued support! It means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Happy reading!

xxxxxxxxxxx

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Fourteen: Falling Apart }**

While the soothing rhythm of her breathing was comforting, Raphael couldn't help but feel a bit like a peeping tom as he watched Amelia sleeping next to him.

Once again, her night's sleep had been disturbed on numerous occasions, not only by her worrying, but also by nightmares. It was getting to the point where Raphael was considering just taking out Ethan on his own. He wouldn't kill the guy, but he could at least scare him into never going near Amelia again. However, he knew that Splinter would never allow it, and he knew that Amelia probably wouldn't be okay with it either. Next to him, the eighteen year old stirred, and instinctively, he reached a hand out and started to rub her cotton-clad back and play with her hair, hopefully to send her back to sleep again.

He saw her head nuzzle further into her pillow, and she seemed to fall still again, so he took his hand away from her and returned it to his pillow, watching her with those intense eyes of his. The next thing he knew, her left arm snaked out from under her sleeping form and patted around blindly for his hand. When she found it, she took it in her own much smaller one and pulled it back towards her hair, and with a fond smile, Raphael continued to play with the silky, honey-blonde locks as Amelia stirred again.

"Why'd you stop?" She mumbled, turning her head slightly so that she could see him from where she rested on her stomach.

"I thought you were asleep again." He replied quietly, his deep voice sending pleasurable chills down her spine, "You need to rest."

"I don't want to." She murmured, brushing her messy hair from her face as he continued to curl his fingers through the back of it, "I _can't_. My head's a mess."

"I could get rid of one problem for you, but you won't let me." Raphael said, sighing heavily, "I wanna fix it, but I can't..."

"This isn't your problem to fix." Amelia whispered, pushing herself upwards to scoot over to him.

"Uh, we're in a relationship. Your problems become my problems now." Raphael replied, resting his head to hers as she settled in his arms, "I just want you to be okay, Amelia."

"I will be." She said softly, breathing him in, "I just need time."

"I know." Raphael sighed again, holding her against his side, "I'm assuming you feel too tired to do any training, huh?"

"Yeah..." She replied, nuzzling him gently, "About that..."

"What?" Raphael asked quietly, rubbing her back softly as they moved apart so that they could see each other properly.

Amelia was dreading where this conversation was going to go. She'd been thinking about it through the night, and she didn't know if she actually wanted to become a ninja warrior. She was just an eighteen year old kid, who couldn't even walk around an open floor space without tripping over herself... So what chance would she have at becoming a ninja warrior? She couldn't do it. Learning how to use weapons was something that she wasn't exactly keen on either, and she had too many stresses in her life to be able to even put the right amount of concentration into it. Basic self defence, she was fine with... But actual Ninjitsu wasn't something that she wanted to learn. Not right now. While the idea had been initially very exciting, after thinking about it, she didn't feel confident enough to do it.

"I don't know if it's such a good idea..." She answered him, trying to brace herself for his reaction, "Learning how to fight like you and your brothers? The thought scares me, and I just don't think I'm capable... I don't think it's something I want to do..."

He looked absolutely crestfallen, and Amelia felt terrible. She knew he'd be devastated. He was so looking forward to teaching her, but she just couldn't bring herself to wield a weapon like theirs. It had occurred to her during the night that her boyfriend knew how to _kill_ people. He could hold someone's life in his hands and just snatch it away without anyone even realising he'd done it, and Amelia didn't know if she could deal with that kind of responsibility. She didn't _want_ to know how to kill people.

Raphael got up and moved away from her, getting out of bed to pace around the room. The only thing he wanted was for this girl to be safe. He didn't understand why her mind had changed like this, because when he first asked her if she wanted to learn, she said she'd be honoured. She'd been incredibly excited, yet now, she didn't think it was a good idea? He felt like he'd just been stabbed in the back with his own sai.

"Baby, please don't be mad..."

He wasn't mad. He was _hurt_. It felt like rejection, and he hated it. He couldn't even look at her, because he knew he'd lose his temper with her, and he didn't want to get to that point. He'd be so excited to share his knowledge with her, and because it was something that the two of them could do together. He'd been so relieved because he knew that he was going to be teaching her to defend herself, and now she didn't think it was a good idea? Where had this even come from?

"Raph...?"

"I'm going to the dojo." His voice sounded much lower, and his accent was much thicker than Amelia had ever heard it as he started to put on his belt, "Don't come with me, because I can't look at you right now... I need time to get my head in order before I talk about this."

"You can't look at me?" Amelia asked him, her voice taking a harsher tone, "I haven't broken up with you, Raph! I just said that I didn't wanna..."

"I said, I don't wanna talk about it now." He snapped, walking out of the room before she could even respond to him.

As the door to the bedroom slammed shut, Raphael started down the stairs, ignoring the confused looks from his brothers. He heard the bedroom door open again and suppressed the urge to growl as Amelia followed him down the to the lower floor. Her bare feet padded on the cold floor, and the sound of her cotton pyjama bottoms rubbing together was the only sound that he could hear as she marched towards him, no doubt ready to fight with him.

"Raphael!" She yelled, startling everyone except the red-banded turtle, "Why are you reacting like this? I knew you'd be upset, but I didn't think you'd behave like this about it! All I said was that I don't wanna learn how to fight! Why is that such a bad thing?"

The red haze had descended now. There was nothing he could do about it. He just lost it. Not only was the situation with Amelia's co-worker getting dangerous, but now, she was practically stabbing him in the back, and it made him feel like shit. For her then to turn around and start this argument in front of his brothers, when he'd asked her to leave him alone, just caused him to snap.

"It was the _one_ good fucking thing that I could do for you, right now!" He roared, turning on his heels and glaring at her, "The only thing I wanna do is keep you safe! I don't have a lot to offer this fucking world, or to offer you! And teaching you how to fight was something I wanted to do! The thought of it made me feel fucking proud of myself, just for once in my miserable fucking life!"

Amelia's face fell into an expression of shock and hurt. He wasn't going to put his hands on her, but he had the unbelievable urge to just _shake_ some fucking sense into her. He'd explained to her already why this was so important to him. She knew how much it meant to him, and she'd just torn it away from him, despite the fact that she'd apparently felt awful for not realising how important it was to him when they'd first talked about it.

"I felt like it was something that we could do together!" He continued to yell, barely able to breathe, "I wanted to share my knowledge with you! It was fucking _important_ to me! And you knew it was. So, don't blame me for feeling and behaving this way, when you just tore my heart out of my fucking chest and stamped on it! Don't!"

"Raphael."

Splinter's stern voice seemed to resonate around the room, and it made everything come to a halt. Michelangelo was gawking at his brother in disbelief. Donatello was looking worriedly between the red-clad turtle and a now distraught Amelia, and Leonardo was trying to decide whether or not he should intervene. Splinter's voice, a loud, commanding growl, had somehow managed to bring everything to a stop.

"Fuck this." Raphael breathed, heading towards the entrance of the lair, "I'm outta here."

"Raph...?" Leonardo got out of his seat and went to follow him, "Just stop and think for a minute."

"Back the fuck off, Leo! I'm done with this!" Raphael snarled, his voice louder than ever.

"Raph..."

Before Leonardo could even finish saying his name, the red-clad turtle had already set off running into the tunnels. The sound of more footsteps sounded as Amelia sprinted up the stairs, utterly devastated, and slammed the door to Raphael's room shut. Michelangelo's instinct was to go to her, but Splinter stopped him, holding a hand up in front of his face.

"Leave her." He said quietly, slowly lowering his hand, "They both need time to calm down."

"She's distraught, Sensei..." Michelangelo breathed, "I can't just leave her like that..."

"Just give her a few moments of privacy." Splinter soothed him, placing his hand on his youngest son's shoulder, "She might want to be alone for a while."

Leonardo turned back towards his brothers and stepped closer to them, sighing and running a hand over his face. He couldn't believe he was thinking this, but he could understand why Raphael had reacted like that. He'd been really excited about teaching Amelia how to fight. It had brought a light to his eyes that Leonardo hadn't seen in years, and no matter how much Raphael played the tough guy, his opinion of himself was pretty low. The one thing that had boosted some of his self esteem had just been pulled out from under him. Of course he was going to be upset. The emotional outburst, however, was completely unexpected.

"If I'm honest, I'm with Raph on this one." He said quietly, earning stunned looks from his younger brothers.

"You can't be serious..." Michelangelo breathed, a horrified expression crossing his face.

"How can you justify that kind of behaviour?" Donatello asked, shocked, "He just scared her half to death, and for what?"

"I'm not justifying anything." Leonardo replied sternly, "But, Amelia knew how much he was looking forward to teaching her something new. She knew how much it meant to him. She shouldn't have accepted if she had doubts about it."

"She might not have until now." Donatello replied, looking to Master Splinter, "Am I going crazy, or does what I'm saying actually make sense?"

"Your brother is a very emotional being." Splinter said quietly, clasping his hands together thoughtfully, "He is incredibly passionate about everything that he does, and it is understandable that he would be hurt by Amelia changing her mind about his offer to teach her. However, screaming at her like that will not improve the situation, or make him feel any better about it."

The ageing rat sighed, running his hand across his brow worriedly. He knew that his son loved this human girl, more than anyone would ever understand, and he also knew that Amelia loved Raphael just as much. These were tense times for the couple, mainly because of the fact that Amelia wasn't safe on the surface, and because Raphael was concerned that the young girl wasn't getting any rest. They were both exhausted and both stressed, so arguments were to be expected, but Splinter wasn't going to stand for his son behaving in that way towards his partner.

"Leonardo, could you prepare Amelia some tea?" He asked wearily.

"Yes, Sensei." Leonardo replied, going to the kitchen without another word.

"Michelangelo, I want you and your brother to clean the dojo."

Both brothers bowed to their father and gloomily headed towards the dojo, looking rather dejected. Splinter sighed again and shook his head, before turning away to head to his own room, his heart weary and heavy.

* * *

It was an hour before anyone saw Amelia after the argument. Her tea still remained untouched as it sat outside the door of Raphael's room, and she almost knocked it over as she stepped outside, because she almost forgot that it was there. Dressed in her winter clothing with her bag over her shoulder, she headed quietly down the steps towards the entrance of the lair, so as not to draw attention to herself. She couldn't stay. Not after that argument.

"Where are you going?"

She stopped and closed her eyes at the sound of Michelangelo's voice. She hadn't noticed him lounging on the couch when she came down the stairs, and now he'd caught her as she was leaving. She turned towards him, her red, swollen eyes focussing on his big, baby blue ones. She couldn't stay in the lair because Raphael would be in a foul mood when he came back, and she didn't want his brothers to have to endure another argument like the one they'd had earlier.

"I'm going home, sweetheart." She told him, "Don't try and stop me, either. It's better for everyone right now if I just go."

Before he could even respond, the girl broke into a run. She was surprisingly fast, and it left the turtle unable to decide whether to go after her or fetch his brothers. He shot off towards Donatello's lab, screaming at the top of his lungs as a panic filled him that he'd never felt before. Raphael would go insane if he found out she'd gone home, and Amelia was willingly walking into danger. He had no idea what to do.

"Guys! Amelia's leaving! She's leaving!"

A panicked looking Donatello, and a concerned looking Leonardo both came out of the lab, shock evident on both of their faces.

"Then, why are you still standing there?!" Leonardo yelled, breaking into a run, "Come on! If someone sees her leaving the sewers in broad daylight, we're done for!"

Donatello and Michelangelo followed him, and the three of them sprinted into the tunnels to find her. Amelia, on the other hand, was one step ahead of them. The first cover she came to was the one that she was going out of, and just as their voices were starting to grow louder, she'd managed to squeeze her way onto the surface, and somehow, she slotted the cover back into place before the brothers could reach her. She slowly slipped out of the alleyway and into the busy city streets, trying to get her bearings.

She realised that she was only about a thirty minute walk away from home, so, she took the time to try and keep her emotions under control, and she enjoyed the cold, fresh air as it wrapped around her. She didn't mean to hurt Raphael like that, and she certainly hadn't expected him to react so angrily. She did know how much it meant to him, and how much he'd been looking forward to sharing his skills with her. It wasn't as though she'd gone out of her way to upset him. She was just being truthful.

She just needed time to think about the situation, because she actually didn't know if Raphael would be able to forgive her for hurting him that way. The look in his eyes had been enough indication that he felt betrayed by her, and the fact that his outburst was so emotional was something that Amelia wasn't used to. All that Amelia had wanted to do was hug him, but she thought it best to not even attempt to touch him when he was that enraged.

After all, she had agreed to it at first, without really thinking about it, and she'd genuinely been excited by the thought of him teaching her something new. She then started to question whether or not her doubts were natural, and whether she maybe should've confided in him about her doubts before just backing out like that. Only a matter of days ago, she'd been mad as hell at him for running out on her the way he had, and now, she'd pretty much done the same thing... After breaking his heart.

Before she knew it, she was at home, looking up at the apartment building that loomed over her menacingly. It reminded her of the way her father used to loom over when he'd had too much to drink. A violent shudder ran through her body as she hurriedly got her keys out of her bag, and she quickly headed into the building, going up the stairs to her apartment.

* * *

"I can't find her anywhere." Leonardo panted as he jogged into the lair, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, "I've been all over the tunnels, and I can't find her."

"We couldn't find her either." Michelangelo said in a panic as he walked towards his older brother, "What do we do?"

"Who's gonna tell Raph?" Donatello asked worriedly as he also stepped forward, running his hands over his lower face, "He's gonna go ballistic."

"I'll deal with Raph." Leonardo replied, standing back up and placing his arms across his chest, "She can't have gone far. The only place I think she will have gone is back to her own apartment. We'll go to her after dark."

"I doubt she'd want us there." Donatello said with a frown, shaking his head as he held up his T-Phone, "She isn't answering our calls or messages."

"I don't get it." Michelangelo breathed, "We didn't do anything wrong. Why won't she talk to us?"

"Maybe she's upset and embarrassed because she and Raphael had that fight right in front of us." Leonardo sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his three-fingered hand, "The way he yelled at her won't have helped either."

"Any sign of Raph?" Michelangelo asked nervously, earning a shake of the head from his older brother, "Oh, man... He's gonna freak out again when he knows she's gone..."

"I told you, I'll deal with him." Leonardo answered, heading towards Master Splinter's room, "I'll talk to Sensei. Let me know if Raphael comes back."

Before he could reach the room, however, a gruff, worn out voice caught his attention, and the three brothers slowly turned back to the doorway. Their stomachs dropped when they were met with the sight of their brother, who had a look in his eyes that they'd never seen before. His voice was hoarse, as though he'd been screaming at the top of his lungs for hours on end.

"Guys?"

"Raph..." Michelangelo whispered, taking in his brothers unusual demeanour, "Are you okay?"

"What's going on?" Raphael asked, looking at his brothers' nervous body language, "Where's Amelia...?"

Leonardo turned around and walked back over to his brother. He was trying to brace himself for how the red banded turtle was going to react to hearing that his girlfriend had gone home, and that his brothers had let her. He cleared his throat, looking Raphael straight in the eyes with no fear, and no hesitation.

"She isn't here." He said quietly, "She got her stuff about an hour after you left, and she went home."

"She went to leave the one place where she's safe, and you fucking _let her_?!" Raphael asked, his voice still low in volume as he spoke through gritted teeth, "What in the name of fuck is...?"

"It's my fault, bro." Michelangelo said anxiously, "I should've chased after her, but I panicked. My instincts told me to get Leo and Donnie... She's a really fast runner, and she just bolted. I didn't know what to do!"

"I ought to kick your ass from here to next fucking week." Raphael growled, sighing tiredly as Michelangelo's hands raised in a defensive position.

"Please, don't..." The youngest turtle's voice shook uncharacteristically, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm really sorry. She was _super_ fast. I was only with Donnie and Leo for a few seconds, and she was out of sight."

"We've just been looking for her for the past couple of hours." Donatello added, trying to be helpful, "She won't answer her phone, but we're pretty confident that she's back at her place."

"Then, why the fuck are we still stood here?" Raphael asked angrily.

"Because it's broad daylight outside!" Leonardo huffed, "We can't go until after dark. I promise, we'll go to her place and you can check on her yourself, okay? Until then, we need to just give her time."

"Give her time for what?" Raphael snapped, "You're all acting as if I'm the one to blame, here..."

He was tired of being made to feel like the one in the wrong all the time. Amelia had seriously broken his fucking heart. It was like she'd just thrown his offer back in his face, and to hell with how it made him feel, so he was getting more than just a little annoyed that his brothers were looking at him as though he'd done something wrong.

"Even though we understand why you're so upset with her, you can't scream at her like that." Leonardo answered him, putting his hands on his hips, "You can't tell me that yelling at her like that made you feel any better about what happened."

"It did at the time." Raphael muttered, crossing his arms petulantly, "I'm not the bad guy in this situation, okay? I didn't do anything but tell her how I felt. That was what she wanted from me, so that's what she got. I was honest, and she didn't like it."

"She needs time to think about what happened." Leonardo said quietly, "For all we know, she's feeling terrible right now. She was devastated when you left."

"So, she should be." Raphael mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm really fucking mad at her."

"I know." Leonardo said sympathetically, "But, you're obviously worried about her, right? Or you wouldn't have been so angry when we told you she'd gone home."

"I might be mad at her, but I still need to make sure she's okay."

He looked up at his brothers and took a deep breath, ducking his head sadly. Leonardo stepped over to him and gently put a comforting hand on his shoulder, patting it lightly to try and reassure him.

"Yeah, you do." He said quietly, "It'll be dark in a few hours. For now, I think you'd better go and speak to Master Splinter."

"Yeah, you're right." Raphael answered, running a hand over his face.

Trying to formulate some semblance of an apology in his head, Raphael slowly walked towards Master Splinter's room while trying to ignore the looks of concern and pity coming from his brothers. Wherever she was, and no matter how much she'd hurt him, all that Raphael wanted was for Amelia to be okay.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	15. Cornered

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** A big thanks again to everyone who's supported me with this fic so far! I hope you're all enjoying it, and I hope you'll stick with me til the end. It means so much that people are reading it, let alone following, favouriting and reviewing it.

 **The Silvernote:** Thanks again for the review! It means the world to me that you've consistently reviewed throughout! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Happy reading!

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* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Fifteen: Cornered }**

Amelia was getting ready to smash both her normal cellphone and her T-Phone.

Ethan was driving her insane, constantly texting and calling her, and then she was getting calls every thirty minutes from the turtles. All except Raphael of course. It was late afternoon, and after a good long read of her favourite novel, she decided to go and take a shower. She went to her bedroom to get some clean underwear and put both of her phones in her duffel bag, which still sat packed on her chest of drawers. She zipped it up indignantly, promising herself that she'd go and check later, before she trudged wearily to the bathroom. The hot water was soothing, and she tried to concentrate on the feeling of it rather than the emotions that were swirling around in her head.

She was starting to feel guilty. She started to realise that maybe she had been kind of rash and that maybe allowing Raphael to teach her something new wasn't so bad. It wasn't like she had to use the skills she learned from him, but it was maybe something they could do together as a couples kind of thing, like he'd wanted them to. So, some couples watched movies together or went to restaurants for a night out. Amelia could handle having training sessions with her wonderfully unique boyfriend as date nights.

She started to understand why he was so upset. He was taking on what he considered to be an important responsibility, and he was passing on knowledge to her that he knew she may need to use one day. He was trying to protect her and care for her, and involve her in his life on a deeper level than just experiencing a romantic relationship with her, and she'd just thrown it back in his face. As she realised this, she suddenly felt like the biggest bitch that had ever walked the earth. As the weight of the guilt started to feel heavy on her soul, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel as she went to leave the bathroom so that she could call her boyfriend and apologise.

Then, she heard it. The smashing of glass came from her living room, and she hurriedly dried herself, dressed in her underwear and bathrobe, and then stepped out of the bathroom slowly to find out what had caused it. She had nothing to defend herself with if someone had broken in, so her first instinct was to start looking for something that she could knock someone out with.

"Amelia?" The sing-song tone of a familiar voice filled the air, and Amelia stilled, absolutely horrified as Ethan stepped into the corridor, holding an assault rifle in his hands, "Hey, beautiful."

As her heart throbbed in her chest and her stomach plummeted towards her knees, Amelia swallowed thickly as hot tears began to sting at her eyes. Ethan walked over to her, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, with his curly dark hair sticking out in all directions. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and as a maniacal grin made its way onto his face, he cocked his head to the left and looked the eighteen year old over, nodding with approval. Before Amelia could even think to do anything else, he pointed the gun at her and marched over to her. He grabbed her hard by the arm and ushered her into her bedroom, closing the door behind them.

* * *

"Raphael, will you just sit down?" Donatello asked, frowning and rubbing a hand across his forehead, "You're making me mess up my calculations."

"She's not answering her phone to anybody." Raphael snarled, "Why? Why would she ignore us that way?"

"She's probably sick to the back teeth of looking at cellphones." Donatello answered, typing away at his computer, "I doubt her co-worker will be giving her any peace, so the least we can do is give her a break. When she's in a better frame of mind, I'm sure she'll contact us. Until then, give her some space..."

"Giving her space is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing right now, Donnie." Raphael growled, his voice gruff, "If anything's happened to her..."

"You're overthinking it." Donatello said with a sigh, "She probably just wants some time on her own to get her head in gear. I'm sure she's okay."

"But, what if she isn't?" Raphael asked, rubbing the back of his bandanna clad head, "I got this feeling in my gut that I can't shake. I trust my gut, Donnie, and I feel like something's wrong."

"You're worried about your girlfriend." Donatello shrugged, "It's completely natural. It doesn't mean that something's wrong."

Raphael ran his hands over his face and sighed, stopping his pacing to sit down on the medical bed. He was spending time with Donatello because he knew that his younger brother was a logical thinker, and not only that, but Donatello was quiet and he knew how to calm Raphael down. Leonardo was too negative for Raphael's liking, and Michelangelo wasn't really pleased with him right now after his argument with Amelia, so Donatello was really his only option.

"You know, you're probably feeling regret about shouting at her, too. That won't be helping." Donatello told him, pushing his glasses up onto his face from where they were slipping with a large finger, "Did she really hurt you that badly, or were you just saying it to make her feel bad?"

"Of course it hurt me. There isn't much I can offer her, but when she throws all that I can offer her back in my face... Yeah. It hurts." Raphael muttered, rubbing a hand over his face again.

"What are you talking about?" Donatello asked, looking genuinely stunned, if a little pissed off, too, "You've got a lot more to offer than you think. When she was freaking out yesterday, you calmed her down. You comforted her. When she got that creepy text after she'd been to the police, you offered her shelter."

Raphael looked up at his brother, who was shaking his head as though in disappointment. Raphael hated that look, because it made him feel awful, like he'd royally fucked up. He remembered what Donatello had told him when they officially announced their relationship. He'd told Raphael to take care of the eighteen year old, and now she was topside where they couldn't get to her, in potential danger because of their argument. No wonder Donatello was looking so upset.

"You offer her peace and you offer her safety. You offer her affection, and love. You offer her comfort and support." The purple clad turtle told him, "You make her happy. You offer her intimacy..."

"Whoa, dude..." Raphael put a hand up, wincing at his younger brother's choice of words.

He didn't want to talk about those kinds of things, especially not with the brother who would probably scientifically analyse every aspect of them. He and Amelia were always as quiet as possible whenever they were in bed together, because they didn't want the sound to carry and they didn't want his brothers or father to hear what they were up to. Apparently, however, the plan hadn't worked.

"Come on, Raph." Donatello huffed, "We're not idiots. We know you two probably get up to all kinds of things. Anyway... My point is that you offer Amelia a hell of a lot more than you think you do. You need to think a little better of yourself."

Suddenly, looking rather nervous, Donatello turned back to his computer to continue his typing, while Raphael allowed his little brother's words to sink in. Now that it had been put to him that way, Raphael realised that indeed, he did have more to offer Amelia than he thought. Even though he was mad as hell about her suddenly deciding that she didn't want him to teach her how to protect herself, he figured that she wasn't going to change her mind about it any time soon, so, as hard as it was for him, he knew he had to try and let it go.

As the sickening, dreadful feeling settled back into the pit of stomach, Raphael checked his T-Phone for the time, and then started to pace again, unable to stop his thoughts from racing about what could be happening to his girlfriend.

* * *

How Amelia had managed to cook this meal, she had no idea. Ethan sat opposite her, watching her as she tried to eat the pasta bake that she'd managed to put together, and she felt incredibly conscious as his eyes moved over her body. At gunpoint, he'd forced her to apply a full face of make-up and put on a black cocktail dress, and then cook him dinner. Apparently, if they were having dinner together, she needed to look presentable.

Every time that he pointed that weapon at her head, all that Amelia could think about was Raphael. What if she was never going to see him again after tonight? What if Ethan was planning to kill her? Her last words with Raphael were angry ones, and he would have to live with that, and without her for the rest of his life. The thought almost caused her to lose control and break down into tears.

She was doing very well at keeping her composure, partially due to the breathing technique that Raphael had used with her the previous day. And she knew that the calmer she was, the calmer Ethan would be. He looked as though he was completely sane and like this was the most normal thing in the world, but she could tell that something inside him had snapped. His eyes were giving that away.

"What would your boyfriend say if he could see us now?" Ethan asked her as she put her fork down.

"I don't know." Amelia answered, willing herself to not look at him.

"You'd better wash the dishes." Ethan said, his eyes never leaving her as she stood from her seat and started to clean up.

All that she could hope was that one of the brothers would come by. She hoped that it was Raphael, if someone did come to her, because she just wanted to be with him again, and in his arms. She would've given anything just to see him again, because she had a feeling that she might not be getting out of this.

She was washing the dishes when she felt him approach her from behind, his hands moving to her waist. Panic started to set in. She would comply to practically anything he asked of her but she didn't think that she could cope with physical contact. Desperately trying not to squirm, she felt herself being pulled back towards his body, the fabric of his jeans rubbing against her bare legs.

"You look beautiful."

"Th-thank you..." Amelia whispered, biting her lip as her trembling body started to shake more violently.

Then, she felt his lips against her head and she couldn't stop the horrified gasp that escaped her lips as she tried to push away from him. She just wanted Raphael. She wanted Ethan to be as far away from her as humanly possible. There was no way for her to contact anyone for help because her cell phones were well out of reach, so she'd have to try and help herself.

She drew her leg up and kicked him in the knees, hoping that it might be enough to make him let go. He only grabbed her harder and laughed in her ear, his voice sending horrible chills down her spine as he ran his hand over her stomach. The same place that Raphael had touched her when he'd initiated their first kiss.

"That's not very nice, is it?" Ethan's voice was dripping with venom as he spoke in her ear.

Before Amelia could do anything else, he was dragging her towards the hallway, picking up his assault rifle as he went. He hauled her to the bedroom and shut the door like he had earlier, and as he threw her on the bed, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a thin roll of duct tape. He had this look on his face that almost made him seem inhuman, and in the dim light of the room, he looked downright terrifying.

Amelia froze. This couldn't be happening to her. As he pulled the tape off the roll, he grabbed her wrists and then tied them together, and as the true horror of the situation started to settle in, she felt herself starting to break down. Despite her struggling, he managed to do the same to her feet, and he then put a piece of tape over her mouth, causing her to breathe violently through her nose at the sudden loss of the use of her mouth.

"Bad girls get punished, Mia." He said darkly, pointing the gun at her, "You don't want to be punished, do you?"

She almost sobbed, shaking her head as her eyes filled with tears. She dreaded to think about what he was planning to do to her. Now, she was bound and gagged, and was effectively defenceless. Raphael's face entered her mind once more. The thought of never seeing him again was torturous. The thought of never looking upon those beautiful green eyes, or that warm smile again hurt her more than she ever thought it would. The thought of never hearing his voice again, or never feeling his touch again was unbearable.

"I didn't think so." Ethan's broke her out of her thoughts, "Let me look at you."

He stepped closer to her and knelt down in front of her, his long, thin fingers brushing against her hands as his eyes met hers. He reached up with his left hand and brushed a tear away that fell onto her face. The touch was so different to Raphael's. Not only was it soft, but it was also icy. It made her skin crawl, and a sudden urge to vomit hit the back of her throat. Raphael's touch was gentle, but his skin was rough and calloused. It felt more _real_.

As the sky outside started to get darker, Amelia could only hope and pray that her boyfriend, or one of his brothers would come by soon. Ethan saw her look towards the window, and he looked back up at her, a cruel smile forming on his pale face.

"Expecting someone?" He asked her, "Are you worried that your boyfriend will drop by?"

She didn't respond. She just stared at him, wide-eyed and fearful, and Ethan got to his feet slowly with a nonchalant look on his face and then sat the gun by the bed, pointing upwards towards Amelia's face.

"Don't worry. If he does, I'll make sure we're left alone." He said, looking into her beautiful blue eyes with a smile that chilled her to the core, "It's just you and me tonight, sweetheart. I'll see to it that we aren't interrupted."

The words filled Amelia with so much fear that she almost completely lost control. She couldn't bear the thought of Ethan gunning down any of the boys if they were to stop by. She had a feeling that because she hadn't answered her phone to anyone for several hours, someone would stop by that night to check on her. But, now, realising the very real threat to their lives, she almost didn't want them to come.

She stared back up at her co-worker, who had what she could only describe as the Devil in his eyes. She'd never seen so little emotion in a person before. She'd never seen him look like this before either, and it dawned on her that he'd been living a double life for God only knew how long. He seemed so _normal_ , but now... Amelia couldn't believe the change in him, and she was genuinely frightened.

"No need to worry, Mia." Ethan said again, stepping closer to her and running his fingers through her honey-blonde hair, "I'll take good care of you."

* * *

Now, everyone in the lair was getting edgy. The signal coming from Amelia's T-Phone was still present, but it hadn't moved from it's location at all for several hours. Donatello couldn't understand it, unless of course, she'd just put it out of the way so that she didn't have to look at the messages and phone calls coming through from the brothers. Michelangelo was fidgeting nearby, clearly unhappy that they couldn't go to Amelia for a while longer. Leonardo was sat in deep concentration, meditating in one of the chairs in the living area. Raphael was kicking the hell out of his punchbag in the dojo, and Master Splinter was drinking his tea, looking troubled.

"Sensei, I can't just sit here." Michelangelo growled, sounding uncharacteristically serious, "What if something's happened to her?"

"My son, you cannot go anywhere until after dark." Splinter told him in a firm tone, "Darkness is already falling on the city. You will not have long to wait before you can go and see Amelia."

"I shouldn't have let her leave." Michelangelo said sadly, bowing his head, "I should've chased her. Caught up with her. Now, I can't escape this feeling that something's wrong... Raphael feels the same."

"I am sure that all Amelia needs is time to herself." Michelangelo was confused by his father's tone, as it sounded almost as though he was trying to convince himself of what he was saying, "I am sure that she'll be fine."

Michelangelo looked at him with suspicion. He knew better than to question his father, but something told the youngest turtle that Splinter was just as worried as the rest of them were. Raphael was having the worst time out of all of them, because this was the girl that he clearly loved, who was possibly in serious danger. And none of them could do anything about it until finally, the city fell dark.

A deafening roar filled the lair, and everyone turned to the direction of the sound, which was coming from the dojo. It was an anguished, pained scream. One that the brothers knew was made by Raphael, who was probably trying to unleash his frustration and his anxiety. Leonardo cracked an eye open and then got to his feet, but Master Splinter held up a hand, as though telling him to sit down.

"Leave him. He has to deal with this on his own." The rat said sternly, watching his oldest son sit down slowly in the chair again, "None of you have much longer to wait."

"We shouldn't be waiting." Michelangelo protested, burying his face in his hands, "If she's in trouble, she could die while we're sat here waiting!"

"Michelangelo." Splinter scolded him, standing from his own seat with the tea held in his hands, "Enough. You will go when the city is dark. Until then, you must be patient."

"To hell with being patient!" Michelangelo cried, "This is all my fault! If I hadn't let her go...!"

"If anyone's to blame right now, it's me."

Raphael's hoarse voice caused everyone to turn and look at him, and even Donatello poke his head out of his lab. They all looked to the second eldest turtle, who was drenched in sweat, and he had one of the guiltiest looks on his face that they'd ever seen. He was breathing heavily, clearly exhausted from his rage filled work out. They all knew how much he loved that girl, and how much he wanted to go and find her. It pained them to see him looking like this.

"If I hadn't yelled at her like that, she'd still be here. Now, we don't know where she is or if she's alright." Raphael said quietly, looking to the floor, "And that's on me. No-one else."

"It's almost time." Leonardo said quietly, getting to his feet slowly, "We should get ready to move."

"With fucking pleasure." Raphael growled under his breath.

"Be careful, my sons. Please, bring her back safe and well." Splinter spoke softly, as though gripped by emotion, "I hope that you find her as such."

"Of course, Sensei." Leonardo said, heading into the dojo, followed by his brothers who each stopped to give their father a comforting pat on the shoulder on the way past.

As they geared up to go, Raphael could feel the raw emotion building in his chest. If anything had happened to her, it would _kill_ him. He didn't even know if he'd be strong enough to deal with it if anything had happened to her. He was terrified, because his gut had been telling him for hours that something wasn't right, and now, the moment of truth was coming. He wasn't looking forward to finding out if he was right or not.

He looked to his brothers, and gave them each a nod as though letting them know it was time go, before he led them into the sewers in pursuit of his girlfriend, leaving their concerned father behind.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	16. Precious

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! Thanks to all of you for your support so far with this fic. We're nearing the end now, and it's been great to write and publish for you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Alex:** Thanks for the review! You'll find out more as you read on ;)

 **The Silvernote:** Thanks again for the continued reviews! Hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter.

Happy reading!

xxxxxxxxxxx

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Sixteen: Precious }**

The brothers were practically silent as they took the journey through the sewers to visit Amelia, who still hadn't answered any messages or calls since she'd vanished from the lair several hours before.

Now, the boys were getting worried. It had been eight hours since Amelia had gone home, so they would've hoped to at least hear _something_ from her. They got to the manhole cover in the alley next to her building within fifteen minutes, and Raphael wasted no time in scaling the building to go to her living room window. The brothers followed him quietly, anxious to make sure that the young girl was okay.

However, when Raphael got to the window, he found to his horror that it was smashed in. The lamp that sat by the TV was the only thing casting light into the room, and as Raphael stepped inside quietly, while trying to avoid the broken glass, he was listening carefully for any sound of life in that apartment. His brothers, judging by their quiet gasps, were also stunned by the sight they were met with. What if she was hurt? What if she was...? No... _No._ Raphael was _not_ going to think like that.

No-one spoke a word. No-one called out to her, or said anything to anyone else, because if someone had broken in and had hurt Amelia, or worse, they could still be in there. The last thing that they needed to do was alert the intruder to their presence. Raphael beckoned for Michelangelo to follow him, and then pointed Leonardo and Donatello towards the roof. His brothers wasted no time in scaling the side of the building to keep watch from the roof, while Raphael and Michelangelo trudged further into the darkness of the apartment, heading towards her room.

Carefully, Raphael pushed Amelia's bedroom door open, only to find her sitting on the bed in a black cocktail dress, with her hair hanging over her shoulders. Her eyes were full of tears and she had make-up running down her face, onto a piece of duct tape that was over her mouth. Her feet and wrists were also tied with duct tape, and she'd been posed quite elegantly, as though she'd been put there for him to find. Knowing that she'd been posed that way was probably the most unnerving thing about it, and Raphael had his suspicions as to who was responsible.

It killed him to see her so helpless, sitting there without any ability to defend herself. His heart lurched painfully in his chest, and his throat tightened as he stared at her fragile form. This was why he wanted her to learn to fight. This was why he'd been so angry when he found out that she'd left the lair, because something in his heart had told him that danger was waiting for her on the surface, and he now knew for certain that he hadn't been wrong.

Their eyes met and she sobbed so hard that she was practically wailing behind the duct tape as her body trembled so violently that she couldn't sit still. Raphael's instincts were screaming at him to and get her, but he had a feeling that this was some kind of trap. Whoever had set her up this way was probably watching the room, waiting for him to step inside. He tried to assess the situation the best way that he could, so that none their lives wouldn't be endangered.

Then, he took note of Amelia's eyes. They kept moving from his, towards the closet that sat opposite her bed, and he realised that she was telling him that her attacker was hidden in there. Raphael nodded to her before drawing the sai from his belt. He had to be ready for anything, and anything could be waiting for him and his brother in that closet. He wasn't going to waste any time with this. They would deal with the threat and get Amelia out of there, quick and clean.

He turned to Michelangelo and pointed at the closet, nodding to his little brother and then holding a finger to his lips. The two slowly and silently slipped into the room, edging towards the sides of the closet. Michelangelo stood ready to attack whoever came out of the closet, while Raphael pulled the door open, and as Amelia's assailant jumped out, Michelangelo found himself face to face with an assault rifle.

Raphael didn't waste any time. He saw a gun pointed at his brother's face, and he knew if he didn't react, his little brother's brains were going to end up all over Amelia's bedroom floor. So, stuck out his leg and kicked the pale brunette man under the chin, causing him to drop the gun, and then he kicked him in the stomach, so hard that it sent him flying out of Amelia's window. He hit the railing of the fire escape with such force that he rolled backwards, over the metal guard, grabbing onto the rails for support.

It was easy to see that his hands were slipping, and Raphael made the conscious decision to go and get the guy so that he could be handed in to the police. But, before anyone could so much as get to the window, the attacker lost his grip and fell at least twenty storeys down, hitting the ground in the alleyway with a sickening thud. It was over so quickly, that the brothers couldn't even comprehend it. The threat was eliminated, and Amelia was safe, and a sense of relief washed over the brothers as they shared a stunned look. It was over.

Michelangelo ran to the window, only to see the guy's body lying lifelessly in the alleyway bleeding into the concrete. He had a feeling that the person who'd just fallen from the fire escape was Amelia's co-worker, and if it was, Michelangelo was kind of relieved that he couldn't ever threaten his little sister again. Raphael moved straight to the bed and reached for his girl, who was still an emotional wreck. He eased the duct tape away from Amelia's mouth the best he could, kneeling down in front of her as she continued to half-scream and half-sob. He cupped her face in his hands, trying to soothe her as much as possible, since he had no doubt that her neighbours would be able to hear her distress.

"It's over, baby... I've got you." He said softly, working to get the duct tape off of her wrists, "I got you. You're safe."

"What happened?" Leonardo's voice was stern as he and Donatello entered the apartment through the now broken bedroom window.

His eyes landed on Amelia's trembling form and he instantly went to help Raphael get the duct tape off of her delicate limbs. It was horrific to think that she'd been in this situation for what could've been hours, not knowing if she was going to get out of it alive. As she was freed, Amelia's arms flew around Raphael's neck, and she slid off the end of the bed with relief, sinking into his embrace. She was so grateful that Raphael had come to see her that night. If he'd been just a few minutes later, she probably would be dead right now.

"Was that Ethan?" Donatello asked, shocked by the carnage in Amelia's room.

"I-I thought he was going to kill me." She cried, trying to savour the feeling of being back in those big arms of Raphael's again.

"Did he hurt you?" Leonardo asked her as Raphael pushed her back so that he could check her over.

"No..." She shook her head, her body still shaking violently, "Just get me out of here, please..."

"We need to go." Donatello said from his place at the window, "Someone's bound to have heard the commotion. The police are probably on their way."

"Then let's take her to the lair." Leonardo said firmly, grabbing Amelia's bag that sat on her chest of drawers, to his amazement, still packed, "Come on."

Raphael scooped the girl up in his arms, looking back to see Michelangelo picking up the gun that was still discarded on the floor. Keeping her cradled to him as they made their way to the ground, Raphael told his brother to leave the gun with the body. He covered her eyes as they moved past the dead man who was laying motionless on the concrete, because after all the trauma of that night, this was the last thing that she needed to see. Donatello threw open the manhole cover and everyone jumped inside quickly as the sounds of sirens filled the air. The purple clad turtle got the grate back into place just as the flashing lights of police cars came into view.

* * *

"Are you still mad at me?"

Raphael, who was gently running a wash cloth soothingly over Amelia's back, looked up at her blank, tear-soaked face as she sat in the large bathtub with her knees drawn up to her chest. The question had been asked so quietly, and gently, as though Amelia was afraid to ask it. No. He wasn't angry any more. The argument from earlier seemed so fucking pointless now, after what had happened at her apartment. He'd been moments away from potentially losing her, and it made him realise just how _precious_ life is. If anything had happened to her it would've been soul destroying for him. For all of them. With a sigh, he took her chin gently between his fingers and turned her head so that she was looking at him. She still looked so beautiful, even though her eyes were swollen and her face was blotchy.

"Of course I'm not." He whispered, leaning forward and pressing his lips to her forehead, "Jesus, Amelia... I'm just glad you're okay. I thought I was gonna lose you."

"When he made me put the dress on and made me put my make-up on... And I saw that gun aimed at my head... I couldn't help feeling so guilty that the last thing I ever did to you was hurt you." Amelia breathed, sniffling as a tear fell from her eyes and her gaze went back to her feet again, "I would've died, and you would've been left with that lasting memory of me hurting you. I can't bear the thought of it..."

"You don't have to." Raphael told her gruffly, trying to ignore the lump that had suddenly risen up in his throat, "It's alright now, darlin'... It's over. He's never gonna be able to hurt you again."

He could see her shivering again, and he realised now that the bath water was probably too cold for her to sit in comfortably. So, he put the cloth down and took her hands, helping her to her feet. He took the nice, thick, warm towel that sat under the sink, and he unfolded it, wrapped it around her shaking form, and eased her gently out of the tub. After he pulled the plug out of the tub, he drew her towards him and rubbed her down with the towel to get her warm and dry. She was still in shock, and she was experiencing pain in her wrists and ankles from where Ethan had tied her with duct tape, so, Raphael made sure that he was gentle around her limbs when he was getting her dry.

He handed her the pair of pyjama bottoms she'd been wearing the night before, and helped her into them when he saw her struggling. She was so weak through the exhaustion that had been caused by the whole ordeal, that she even had difficulty lifting her arms in the air so that he could slide her grey t-shirt over her head. She kept apologising, and he kept telling her not to as he eased her into her thick hooded sweater, and then finally, he carefully slid her rainbow socks on her feet. Her favourite pair.

"You wanna go downstairs...?" He asked her softly, "Mikey's made some pizza, and Sensei's made you some tea."

"He's good at making tea." Amelia commented, sniffling as she wiped at her eyes again.

"It's his speciality." Raphael chuckled, taking her hand in his own as she began to slowly walk towards the bathroom door, "You gonna be okay with the stairs?"

"I'll try." Amelia replied softly, looking up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers, "I love you, Raphael."

"And I love you." His voice was strained, but he managed to keep a control over his emotion as he pulled her into his arms.

It was so scary to think that if he'd only arrived a few minutes later, she might have been dead, and he would never have had the chance to hear those words from her lips again. His hold on her tightened, and he breathed in the wonderful, fruity scent of her hair before drawing her in for a kiss. It was full of love, passion and relief, and within an instant, Amelia had melted against him, holding onto him tightly as she languidly moved her lips with his.

When they broke apart, Amelia squeezed his hand in her own, and then turned towards the door so that they could join his family downstairs. In the kitchen, Michelangelo was cutting up a cheese pizza and a pepperoni one, which were being put onto a large serving plate that Donatello had rescued from being thrown out by April. Master Splinter was still making tea for himself, Amelia and Leonardo, which he'd had to do twice now, because one of Donatello's prototype drones had crash landed on the last tray of tea he'd prepared. Donatello was working on said drone in his lab, while Leonardo was cleaning up the mess that this troublesome invention had made.

As Amelia started to make her way down the stairs, Raphael stayed by her side to make sure she was okay. It had been a horrendous ordeal for her to go through, and Raphael had no doubt that it would take her a while to fully recover from it. So, he wanted to make that process as easy as possible for her. He just wanted her to be her old self again.

"Baby-doll!" Michelangelo cried as he set the pizza down on the table, running to the girl and sweeping her up in his arms, "I made pizza! Do you want some?"

"That'd be great." Amelia smiled at him warmly as he let her go, "Thank you."

Raphael led her to the table and eased her into one of the seats, and he sat beside her as Leonardo put the plates out on the table. Donatello emerged from his lab to take his own seat at the table, just as Michelangelo was putting a pack of cola cans in the centre, and Splinter served up the cups of tea, stopping to brush a hand over Amelia's hair comfortingly.

"I am pleased to have you safe with us again, Amelia." He said quietly, a very serious and relieved expression present in his dark eyes, "We were very worried about you."

"I'm glad to be back, Master Splinter." Amelia replied, leaning into Raphael's side as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

With everyone seated at the table, they all started digging in, and for the duration of their meal, it was almost as though nothing had happened. They were laughing, joking and talking about all kinds of things, and the atmosphere around the table was truly a pleasant one. Splinter was treating Amelia to all kinds of stories about the turtles that the boys themselves couldn't remember. One of her favourites was about the first big thunderstorm that the turtles experienced. They'd all been so frightened that Splinted had made them a cosy nest out of one of his robes, and put them next to him on his bed so that they could stay with him. He recalled fondly how adorable his boys looked, their faces squashed together as they curled up to each other for comfort in the safety of their nest, and it made Amelia smile. The ageing rat clearly held a lot of love for his boys, and judging by the looks on their faces, they held a great deal of love for him too.

After their meal, Amelia insisted on washing the dishes now that she had some of her strength back, and Leonardo stayed behind to help her out. As Master Splinter retired to his room for the night, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo all settled on the couch to watch a movie, which Leonardo and Amelia had given them permission to start without them.

"How are you feeling?" Leonardo asked her quietly as he dried the dishes that she passed to him.

"Drained." Amelia answered honestly, "But otherwise, I'm okay. I'm so grateful to all of you for saving my life..."

"You're our sister." Leonardo said, his voice taking an unusual tone, "There isn't anything that we wouldn't do for you."

"I love you all so much." She told him, sighing as she handed him another plate, "The thought of never seeing any of you again was just unbearable."

"Are you gonna be okay going back to the surface after this?" Leonardo asked her quietly, looking at her with a concerned expression on his face, "You do still have a life up there, despite what's happened."

"I don't particularly want to go back." Amelia said, shaking her head with a determined expression on her face, "I just don't feel like I belong there. I always kind of felt out of place up there, and now I understand why. You guys have just accepted me as I am, without judging me or treating me differently... You're the nicest people I've ever met in my life. And I love all of you more than you know."

Leonardo didn't say anything in response, and the two continued to clean up in silence. Once they were finished, however, he took a hold of Amelia's arm and gently drew her to his plastron, hugging her tightly. No-one had ever said such kind things about him and his family before, and it was overwhelming to think that this wonderful human loved them all so dearly.

"I mean it." She whispered as he held onto him, "I love you, Leo. You all mean the world to me."

"I love you, too, little sis." He told her, earning a grin from the young girl and a light pat on the arm in thanks for the hug.

"Come on, big brother. Let's go watch a movie." She said sweetly, taking him by the hand and dragging him towards the couch.

* * *

Raphael returned from the shower that night to find Amelia sat on his bed in her pyjamas, brushing her hair. He smiled fondly as she hummed to herself, brushing through her honey-blonde curls gently with her thick hairbrush. He shut the bedroom door quietly and walked over to her slowly, taking off his belt and placing it on the small desk in the corner across from his bed.

"Come to bed..." She whispered, putting the brush back in her bag before gazing up at the turtle, who was now turning to face her with a hungry need in his eyes.

She got to her feet just in time as he crushed them together, kissing her harder than he'd ever kissed her before. He'd been so frightened when he'd seen her tied up like that, knowing that she'd been just as scared as him. He never wanted to feel anything like it again. The fear had gripped him hard, and the thought of losing her made him weak at the knees. He _needed_ her. He needed to love her and to _feel_ her again, just to reassure himself that she wasn't going anywhere. As they broke apart, she stared up at him for a moment before pulling her top over her head, moving back to his arms while trying not to shiver in the cold of the lair.

"I need you..." She whispered, kissing him again as he reached for the waistband of her bottoms and pulled her closer, "I need to feel safe..."

"I'll always keep you safe." He promised her, "Always."

Their lips met again, yet this time, they moved much slower, taking the time to savour one another. The hunger and the need was still there, but Raphael slowed the pace down so that he could enjoy tasting her and breathing her in. She meant the absolute world to him. She was his existence, now. She was what he lived and fought for, and he loved her so much that the very thought of losing her almost reduced him to tears. He just couldn't cope with the idea of her not being in his life any more.

"Raph, what is it?" She asked as they broke their kiss, "You're tense..."

He paused for a moment as he tried to think of the best way to explain how he was feeling. He knew that Amelia didn't judge him for being open about his emotions and felt like he could actually talk about things with her. It was just trying to actually put what he was going through into words that was the tricky part.

"I just don't wanna lose you." He whispered, pressing his head to hers, "I feel like you're gonna be ripped away from me any second, and if I lost you I'd... Fuck... I don't know... It'd _kill_ me..."

Amelia looked up at him with sad eyes, seeing the pain he was suffering as he talked about it. It was soul destroying to hear his voice so strained, and when she saw the small droplet escape from his closed eyes, it broke her heart. She reached up and caught it with her thumb, kissing him gently again.

"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered back, cupping his face in her tiny hands, "No-one and nothing will tear us apart, because we won't let it. I love you with every fibre of my being. I'm not gonna leave you, okay?"

Another tear slid from his closed eyes, and Amelia caught it with her thumb again, reaching up to plant a kiss on the spot that she'd wiped it from. His hold on her was tight, as though he was expecting her to be torn from his arms at any moment, but as she gently soothed him and kissed him, he loosened his grip, drawing his arms around her back to embrace her instead.

"I love you so much." He breathed, finally opening his eyes to look at her.

The smile he received in return could've brightened the whole room, and as she leaned in to kiss him again, an overwhelming sense of peace flooded through Raphael's aching heart, and the rest of the world seemed to just fade away.

~ To Be Continued ~

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	17. Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or its characters. I only own my OC.

 **A/N:** So, here we are folks! We're at the end of our story. I will share the ideas I have for future TMNT projects in another A/N at the bottom of the chapter so that I'm not boring you all to tears before you get to read this chapter. Thanks to everyone for their support with this story, It's been wonderful to write it and hear your feedback. As this is a sort of summarising chapter, it is a lot shorter than the others before it.

 **DaLadyofSouls:** Thank you so much for consistently reviewing and supporting me with this fic. It means the world and I hope you enjoy this final chapter!

 **The Silvernote:** Again, thanks so much for your support throughout this fic. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one! :)

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Secrets ~**

 **{ Chapter Seventeen: Aftermath }**

 _ **Three Weeks Later**_

The sound of Christmas music played through the lair as four figures stood around a Christmas tree, hanging decorations on it carefully.

Astoundingly, nothing had come of Ethan's death after he'd fallen from Amelia's apartment building, and it had been ruled as a suicide, which was a great relief to Amelia. It meant that finally she could bring that chapter of her life to a close, and start to move on from it.

Following the events of that night, Amelia had come to the decision that she didn't want to live on the surface any more. She wanted to pursue one of her lifelong dreams, which was to become an author. So, she'd quit her job, moved everything to the lair with the help of the boys and their wonderfully useful van, and she was in the process of selling her apartment. She had plenty of money left over from her grandmother's will to keep supporting her and her unusual family until she self published her first book, which she was about a quarter of the way through already.

Currently, though, she was balanced on Dontello's shoulders, trying to balance the pink fairy tree topper on the vertical top branch of her artificial Christmas tree, which she'd brought with her from her apartment. Her living room furniture how sat around their large living area, and their original couch and coffee table had been moved into Donatello's lab. Her TV now sat proudly on its stand in her and Raphael's room, as did her super-king size bed, and her other bedroom furniture. It had been a struggle, but thankfully, the only things she'd had to leave behind were her larger kitchen appliances and her bathroom furniture. Everything else now had its own place in the lair.

Once the fairy was in place, Donatello eased Amelia to the floor with the help of Leonardo, who was just bringing a tray of hot chocolate around for everyone. Raphael, however, was not joining in with the festivities. He was sat with a grumpy look on his face, staring at a muted television with his arms crossed over his chest. Amelia walked over to him with a a large mug in her hands and sat it on the coffee table, leaning over to give him a kiss on his cheek.

"You're such an adorable Scrooge." She told him, earning a half-hearted glare from him as she turned back to the tree.

Splinter was decorating the middle of the tree, Donatello was decorating the top, and Michelangelo and Amelia were decorating the bottom of it. It was just one week until Christmas, and for the first time in years, Amelia was genuinely excited. April was going to join them for Christmas dinner, which Michelangelo was cooking, and then she was going to be staying over until after New Year's Day. Amazingly, Michelangelo had scrubbed his room within an inch of its life, so that April could bunk in with him, which the others thought was rather sweet. Not many guys would put themselves through such a trial just so a friend could share their room.

Amelia got down on the floor and then leaned forward onto her stomach, and she started to place the white felt circular mat that she'd bought in the previous year's sales close to the stand that supported the artificial tree. It was just like a circle of snow had settled underneath it. Donatello counted to three and he hoisted the tree up with the help of his little brother, so that Amelia could slide the mat underneath. They set it back down, and Amelia slipped out from under the tree, hopping to her feet again.

She looked around at the smiling faces and she listened to the excited laughter and chatter, and it brought a new feeling of peace and happiness to her heart. She was determined to make this Christmas the best one they'd ever had.

* * *

Raphael was really trying to get into the Christmas spirit. He was capable of enjoying the holiday, but it was just that horrible music that drove him mad. And the Christmas movies too... If he had to sit through _The Muppets' Christmas Carol_ again, he was going to _murder_ someone. He could see how his negative attitude was making Amelia quite sad, and that really bothered him. He didn't want to upset her, and he didn't want to make her feel bad when she was working so hard, but he just couldn't cope with the sounds of _Jingle Bell Rock_ any more.

Thankfully, Michelangelo had now turned off the obnoxious music, and Amelia had excused herself to the kitchen to make cookies, which apparently were her speciality. He could see her working away, covered in flour and dough, and he decided to go and give her hand. She hadn't rested all day. Walking over to her, he carefully eased his arms around her torso and pulled her small form against his much larger one, pressing a kiss to her messy hair which was haphazardly tied up into a bun.

"Need some help?" He asked her, his voice deep and gruff as he whispered in her ear.

"No, thank you." She answered him with a dreamy smile, "But, you can keep me company, if you like."

Sitting himself down at the table, Raphael watched her as she rolled out the dough and started cutting various different shapes with cookie cutters. Christmas trees, gingerbread men, candy canes... They all looked great.

"Listen, I'm not always miserable at Christmas." He told her, hearing her hum in acknowledgement, "I just get sick of the music and movies. We have to listen to same songs and watch the same stuff every damn year. It drives me insane."

"Well, the songs can't really be changed. Christmas songs, are Christmas songs." Amelia said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face as she put the shapes of dough onto a baking tray and then went back to rolling the dough, "However, there's only ever been one Christmas movie for me. It's one of your favourites."

Raphael's smile grew into a big, wide one as he realised what she was talking about. The ultimate Christmas movie, with a little bit of sentimentality, blood, violence, offensive language, _and_ even the odd half naked girl.

"Are you talking about _Die Hard_?" He asked her, earning a nod from her as she continued her baking, "Oh... Baby, you're awesome."

"That's why you love me, right?" She giggled, cutting some more shapes out of the dough, "By the way, I have to do some secret wrapping later. So, you can't come into our room for a while, okay?"

"Right back at you. I'll be doing mine tomorrow." Raphael answered with a grin, "I've got some really cool surprises for you."

"Shhh!" She protested, flapping a flour covered hand in his direction, "Don't say any more! You'll make me want to find out what they are!"

He watched her as she placed the last set of shapes on the baking tray and then put them in the oven, pulling out her cell phone and setting a timer on it so that she knew when to come and check the cookies. She then went to the sink and washed her hands, getting rid of the flour that was left over on them from her baking.

"Come and sit down."

She almost leapt out of her skin as Raphael appeared next to her, but she smiled at him as he put an arm around her and led her to the living area, where Donatello and Michelangelo were racing one another on _Mario Kart_. Splinter and Leonardo were both reading in the arm chairs, so, as Raphael sat down on the couch, he beckoned Amelia into his lap since all the other space was taken.

Amelia smiled as she looked around at her new family, their faces lit with the warm glow of the standing lamp and the lights of the Christmas tree. She finally, for once in her life, felt at home, with a wonderful, loving family to share her new life with her. Settling against Raphael's side, she thought back to when this all began, and she found it amazing that the telling of a valuable secret was what had brought her together with her adoptive big brothers and her adoptive father.

She looked at them all fondly. The proud, wise Sensei. The strong, gifted leader. The brave, passionate warrior. The technological genius. And then, the loud, loving and hilarious little brother. She loved each and every one of them so dearly, and the only thing she could think of was that she must've been the luckiest girl in the world to have finally found the family she always wanted.

She looked to her wonderful, loving, courageous boyfriend who sat beside her. Even when he was probably furious at her, and even when she was the last person he probably wanted to see, he'd come to her so that he knew she was safe and well. He'd rescued her from the clutches of someone who had betrayed her trust as a friend, and he saved her life without thinking of the danger that his own was in.

Raphael was her guardian angel. From the moment they'd met, he'd been destined for that role, and she loved him more than she'd ever loved anyone in her life. He gave her strength that she didn't even know she had in her, and no matter what she did, he encouraged and supported her. On countless occasions, he'd proven that he was loyal to her, trustworthy and that he loved her dearly. Amelia Smith could never have hoped for anything better.

She could see him turn to look at her, and she pressed her head to his as she felt the tidal wave of emotion building up inside of her. She finally had a family who cared for her, accepted her, loved her and supported her, just as she did the same for them. Yes. She absolutely was the luckiest girl in the world.

As she and Raphael shared a loving kiss, Amelia couldn't help the jolt of excitement that rushed through her at the thought of what the future might have in store for her, and her beautiful, unique family.

 **~ The End ~**

* * *

 **~ Final Author's Note ~**

I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter. It's been a great story to write and publish for you all, and it's helped me get back into writing again. As for future projects regarding TMNT I do have some ideas in mind, and I would like you guys to give me some feedback on what you'd like to see.

I'm thinking of either continuing the arc with Amelia's character, and gradually bringing in more OCs for the other turtles, or I'll do three more separate arcs with different OCs for each brother. Also, I plan to start a fic for the 2014 movie involving an established Raph/OC pairing, so I'm going to see if I can get my creative head on and get that written. I'm trying to focus both on my writing and improving my painting/drawing skills too, so a new fic may not appear for a while. But, I'll do my best to get another fic written for you guys as soon as I can.

Again, thanks so much for all the support, and thank you for reading this story. Much loves!

 ** _RosesandThorns666_**


	18. Future Project Announcements!

**Future Project Announcements!**

Hi, everyone! Due to the reviews I'm receiving about what people would like for future projects, I'm going to give you a breakdown of what I have planned for upcoming TMNT fics. I'm trying to suit everyone with the ideas I have, since I've already begun work on the next project, after a request from my most faithful reviewer during this story, _**The Silvernote**_.

I'm going to continue my OC arc as single OC stories. So, Amelia will be featuring in the upcoming sequel to this fic, _**Changes**_ , before I then move onto a new OC to write a story for them, and potential sequels.

 _Then_ , I'll be doing a movie!fic and potential sequel with my OC Eve, and that actually won't have any particular established relationship as previously mentioned.

Following the movie arc, I'll be moving onto an arc starting with one OC, and then eventually continuing that arc with sequels to bring OCs in for the others, because as one of my more recent reviews said, " _Everyone deserves to be loved._ " which is one of the loveliest statements I've heard in a long time.

Now, as you may have seen in some of my A/Ns, I've mentioned that I'm self employed. From the end of October up until after Christmas, I imagine I will have very little time for rest, let alone writing, because I will be very busy with making orders for my customers. So, I'm going to try and get _**Changes**_ up and complete before Christmas, before I move onto the next Turtle/OC fic in my OC Arc series.

I hope to hear from you guys in the future when I publish more stuff, and I promise to aim to complete each fic. I have a habit of abandoning them half way through and I really don't want to get into that habit with these projects.

Thanks so much for the continued support guys, and I'll be back with a new fic within the next few weeks :)

 **Happy reading! xxxxxxxxx**


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